Obsessed
by Smash King24
Summary: Zelda receives a mysterious love letter from Ike and doesn't know what to do. She tries to go to her best friend Link for advice, but soon realizes she may be falling into one of the most fatal traps of her life. WARNING: Contains blood, violence, and some sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised. LinkxZelda IkexZelda
1. The Letter

Obsessed

**Author's Note:** Please be sure to leave a review about what you thought about each chapter and what you think can be improved upon. If you don't feel like reviewing each chapter, at least leave a review on what you thought of the story at the end! Thanks in advance.

**Warning:** The following fanfiction contains blood, violence, and some sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised.

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Chapter 1: The Letter

* * *

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Princess Zelda's ears pricked sharply at the sound of her bedroom door, causing her to draw her attention away from the gorgeous spring scenery of the outside. A series of muffled footsteps could be heard running away down the hall of the Smash Mansion on the other side of the door.

"Hm?" she muttered to herself, her right eyebrow raised in a queer manner. She slowly walked up to the door and took a peek through the small hole. No one was there. The Hylian princess hesitated slightly before unlocking the door and stepping out into the hall. She looked about curiously, wondering who could have disturbed her during her daily quiet time at 10 in the morning.

"_Must have been the kids playing freeze tag in the halls again_?" she thought to herself. "_Ah, what I'd give to be 13 again_."

She turned around to head back into her room, but not before noticing she had stepped on a white envelope carelessly left in front of her door. "Huh? What's this?" Zelda asked out loud, reaching down to inspect the paper. The front of the envelope was written in a fine black ink; the words, "_Zelda, my love,_" were written in a neat cursive in the centre. Naturally, the princess was dumbfounded as to who could have written such blunt, personal words.

Without hesitation, the Hylian found herself tearing the envelope open to see who or what had left her this unusually friendly gift. The contents of the envelope were none other than a simple letter written on a fine piece of parchment, one that could only have been made out of tree bark from the Kokiri Forest of Hyrule:

_My dearest Zelda,_

_I love you. I have always loved you since the very moment I saw you. From your sparkling blue eyes to your glowing white skin, I love everything that you are. Please be mine._

_-Ike_

After reading the name of the person who had signed this letter, Zelda's eyes widened with shock. She had only known Ike for a few months, their first encounter being during the great battle of Subspace. Living in the same mansion as him, she has grown to know the blue-haired mercenary on a slightly more personal basis, but never in her life would she have guessed that he was in love with her. No, not Ike. He was way too dense for that kind of thing.

"_But why now_?" she thought. "_Why would he tell me this now? Why not tell me in person, or maybe get someone else to tell me his feelings for him_?"

Ike wasn't the kind of guy who would go around telling his feelings to people. He was more reserved, more gentle, more the type of guy who would think before opening his mouth to say something. Yet, here it was, his most inner and deepest emotions about the Hylian princess written on a sheet of paper, mailed, and dropped in front of her doorstep for her to discover upon inspection of a strange knock coming from the hallway. What was he up to exactly?

_"What do I do_?" thought Zelda to herself. _"I'm flattered that he would tell me his feelings like this... but I don't feel the same way about him. What should I do_?" The princess stood in the empty hallway puzzling for a few moments until she finally came up with a solution to her dilemma. Carefully, she tucked the letter back into the envelope and headed down the hall to the Training Room. Whenever she was confronted with any sort of problem in life, she always made sure to turn to her best friend first for advice. Surely _he_ would know how to help her in a time of uncertainty.

* * *

"Whew! Man I am beat!" Link wiped the sweat from his brow and sheathed his sword professionally. "You know, for a little guy," he said, "you sure know how to use that thing."

Meta Knight sheathed Galaxia and wrapped his cape around himself, nodding slightly.

"Hmph. Indeed," he replied, closing his eyes. "You are not bad yourself, fairy-boy. I can tell you have been wielding that legendary sword for most of your lifetime."

Link blushed slightly and sat down on a nearby bench in the Training Room. He took a quick swig from his water bottle before catching his breath from the skirmish.

"Heh, you think so?" he asked, taking another quick drink. The Star Warrior gave a solemn bow before turning around and heading to the exit.

"I do. There's something about you-when we were sparring, I mean-that I didn't notice about you before. Something that wasn't there during the Subspace Emissary," responded Meta Knight without looking.

Link's eyes and ears pricked up in surprise, causing him to spit out some of the water.

"Gah! Erm, what do you mean?" he said standing up, placing his bottle down.

The Star Warrior remained where he stood, his eyes focused on the door before him.

"I am not sure," he said in a low tone. "You don't seem..."

"I... don't seem?..."

Meta Knight coughed aggressively before gliding out of the room.

"Never mind, it's nothing," he replied hastily.

Link stood there in silence for a few seconds pondering what the Star Warrior was implying when all of a sudden, Zelda ran into the room.

"Link! There you are!" she exclaimed, running over to her best friend. Link dropped his shield on the ground and met her in the middle of the room on the sparring mat.

"Oh hey, Zelda!" he replied, giving her a warm hug. Upon seeing her face, the Hero of Time had completely forgotten about what Meta Knight had told him moments before. "What brings you here? I thought you were sleeping?"

"I got up a bit earlier than normal today. But that's not the point." She broke away from him and produced the letter. "Look, I found this in front of my dorm room this morning. Someone knocked on my door and left it there for me."

Link eyed the piece of paper curiously before replying.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Ok, this may sound a bit crazy..." she said, hesitating a bit, "...but I think it's a love letter from Ike."

If Link had had water in his mouth, he would have spat it all over her face just like he did in front of Meta Knight.

"What!" he shouted in disbelief. "A love letter!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I don't want anyone to hear about this!"

Suddenly, Captain Falcon poked his head in the room.

"Good morning Link! Good morning Zelda!" he greeted happily. "How are you-"

"Falcon, now's not the time," replied Link with a glare.

The F-Zero pilot gave an over-exaggerated frown.

"Aw, I was just trying to-"

"OUT!"

"Sheesh, alright, alright, don't get your panties in a knot..."

The racer closed the door quietly before strutting back down the hall on his morning walk. The two Hylians paused for a few moments, verifying that they were alone before continuing.

"Are you trying to tell me Ike ran up to your room, dropped this letter in front of your door, and left without saying anything?" asked Link seriously.

Zelda nodded shyly.

"It's just... what he wrote that bugs me. What should I tell him, Link?" she said nervously.

The Hylian rubbed his chin, puzzling a bit, before replying.

"Well, I guess that depends... do you feel the same way about him?" Link leaned in close to Zelda's face as he said this, causing the Hylian princess to back away from him slightly out of discomfort.

"I don't," she replied bluntly. "I mean, he's a nice guy and everything. But, he's just not the one for me. I only know him as a friend and that's all we are. At least, that's what I thought..." She looked up at her friend and noticed he was smiling rather stupidly, as if in a trance. Link's eyes were wide and bulging, but the princess couldn't tell exactly what part of her he was focusing on. "Um... Link?" she asked, waving a hand in front of him. "Are you feeling okay?" The snapping of her fingers caused the Hero of Time to shake back into reality, retaining his regular smile.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm good!" he replied reassuringly. "I'm just a bit shaken up from that skirmish with Meta Knight. The guy's got knives for wings, you know what I mean?"

Zelda paused and stared at him for a moment unsure.

"Er, yeah," she said. "But getting back to what I was saying, Link, what do you think I should do now?"

Link gave a small smirk before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the Training Room exit.

"Well, if what you say is the truth, then it seems to me Ike needs to get his facts (and his feelings for that matter) reorganized. Let's head down to the dining room and see if he's there, shall we?"

Zelda made no reply, but complied with Link's strange and pushy attitude. She didn't know what it was, but for some odd reason, the Hero of Time seemed unusually happy today. Unusually happy indeed.


	2. Pointing Fingers

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 2: Pointing Fingers

* * *

"We can do this all day if you want."

Ike brushed his blue locks out of his eyes easily, a small smirk inching across his face. The large ape sitting across from him revealed a set of menacing white chompers, clenching his fist even tighter around the swordsman's hand. Ike had arm-wrestled with Donkey Kong before, but in every case they both found themselves sitting at the table for hours on end, attempting to stare each other down. This scenario was no different, except the monkey had somehow managed to nudge the mercenaries arm slightly in his favor.

"Heh heh heh," chuckled DK, squeezing tighter on the blue-haired soldier's fist.

Ike ignored the ape's gesture.

"I can tell you're getting tired; you're starting to sweat," said Ike.

The two were arm-wrestling at the end of the dining room table. Breakfast had officially finished almost an hour ago, yet the two Smashers remained in their spots for a battle of brute force. They had been sitting there for so long; Princess Peach had just about finished clearing off the place mats.

"Oh, you two and your silly wrestling," she sighed with a smile as she waltzed into the kitchen with a handful of dishes. Both Smashers gave a small laugh at her comment but soon retained their serious facial expressions.

"Don't fall asleep on me, DK. I don't want to have to beat you on accident again," chimed the swordsman, sweat trickling down the side of his head. Donkey Kong rolled his eyes unimpressed and continued pressing hard.

The two may not have realized it yet, but they were indeed trapped in a lock. The only way for someone to win at this point would be for one of them to get distracted.

"IKE!"

Ike jumped at the sound of his name and lost his posture, causing DK to move in for the kill. The large monkey slammed Ike's fist down into the table, giving a powerful war cry in the process.

"Aaargh!" cried the mercenary as he quickly pulled his bruised arm away in pain. The monkey jumped on top of the long table and began parading up and down while pounding his chest. Ike cursed in his head. "Who the hell called my name?..." he muttered to himself darkly as he massaged his red hand. He looked down to the other end of the table to see Link and Zelda walking rather quickly in his direction. The swordsman slapped himself. "Link, you better have a perfectly good reason for ruining my concentration," he growled. "I could have beaten that stupid monkey..."

DK ignored the mercenary and left the room happily, leaving the other three Smashers all to their lonesome.

The Hylians approached the swordsman and stood on either side of his seat. The Hero of Time glanced down at him seriously while the princess had a look of uncertainty in her face.

"Ike, you've got some explaining to do," said Link bluntly.

"Well good morning to you too," replied Ike sarcastically. "How are you doing? Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Did you both have a pleasant sleep last night?"

The green Hylian gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"You know why we're here, now quit pretending."

Ike raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Um... ok... Look if this is about the time I accidently pushed Game & Watch down the stairs, I already told you it wasn't my fault. The guy kept leaving oil all over the hall outside my room!"

"It's not about that, Ike," said Zelda quietly, revealing the letter. "I found this outside my room this morning."

She handed the swordsman the paper and he read over it in a matter of seconds. Upon reading the signed name, his eyes went wide just as Zelda's had done earlier that morning.

"Ok," started Ike nervously, putting down the letter, "I know what you're both thinking, but you have to believe me when I tell you this." Link opened his mouth to say something, but a glance from Zelda caused him to think twice. After brief moment of silence, Ike continued. "I did not write this letter."

The Hero of Time bit his lip while exchanging a glance with the princess.

"You didn't?" asked Zelda confused. "But, isn't that your signature?"

Indeed, not only was Ike's name written on the letter, but it was also written in the exact same way as his formal signature. The swordsman examined the cursive text once again before continuing.

"That is my signature, but I swear to you I did not write this letter," he said.

His facial expression had changed from a relaxed state to a serious, tense one. There was no doubt in Zelda's mind that he was telling the truth. Link, on the other hand, wasn't convinced.

"You expect us to believe that?" asked Link, coughing a bit. "That's the same signature as the one you used when you signed your contract to stay in the mansion. Are you trying to tell us someone forged your signature for this letter?"

"That's the only explanation," replied Ike with a nod. "Obviously, someone is trying to play a prank on me: Writing a love letter to Zelda and forging my hand writing at the bottom. That's so lame..."

He looked up at Zelda hoping that she would agree with his conclusion, which she did but still looked down worriedly.

"Well, if you say it wasn't you, then I guess someone else really was trying to make fun of you," she replied with a sudden smile. "I'm just glad it really _wasn't_ you. I mean... I don't mean that in a bad way..."

"Don't worry, I understand," said Ike standing up. "But I'm not about to let whoever wrote you that letter off the hook. I'm gonna find the person who wrote that letter and beat the living daylights out of him, if that's ok with you, princess."

"That's perfectly fine with me."

"Hmph. Alright then, sorry for troubling you so much. I'll be seeing you two around."

The swordsman took a step to leave, but was soon blocked by Link who took a step in front of him.

"Hold on a second," said the Hero of Time suddenly. "Why would someone go to all the trouble just to forge your own signature? That sounds way too suspicious for my liking."

Ike glared into Link's blue eyes.

"You got a problem, fairy-boy?" asked Ike, showing a bit of teeth.

Link took another step towards the mercenary, boxing him up against the edge of the table.

"Yeah I got a problem," he replied darkly. "I don't trust you, that's my problem."

Ike pushed the green swordsman away from him aggressively and dusted off his chest.

"There's no other way to look at it, you moron," said Ike carelessly. "If I didn't write the letter, someone else surely did. Anyone with half a brain could have figured that out, but I guess it's too much thinking for a so-called 'master of puzzles' like yourself."

"Guys, please, there's no point in fighting over something as childish as a prank," said Zelda, grabbing Link shoulder.

The green Hylian shook her off arrogantly, his eyes still focused on the blue-haired mercenary.

"Why don't you just admit you wrote the letter so we can all be done with this issue and get on with our lives?" asked Link seriously.

Ike clenched his fists partly out of anger and partly out of annoyance, followed by a low growl.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked in response. "Are you trying to pick a fight right now?"

"Me? Of course not! You're the one keeping secrets from a woman of royalty. You do that in Hyrule and you end up getting your ass thrown in prison."

"Well this isn't Hyrule, is it now, fairy-boy?"

The mercenary raised a strong fist in front of his face, warning Link that he was crossing the deep end of this conversation. The Hylian boy foolishly continued to aggravate the swordsman.

"What are you gonna do, Ike?" he asked. "You gonna hit me? Huh. I guess I wouldn't be surprised considering that's all men from Crimea solve their problems."

Wrong move, Link.

In a matter of seconds, Ike reeled his arm back and socked the Hero of Time square in the nose, knocking him to the floor almost instantly. Zelda put her hands to her mouth and screamed, backing off from the scene. Link winced at the pain as he hit the tiled ground, feeling the spot on his face where he was hit. Blood was slowly oozing out of his nostril. The mercenary stood above him triumphant, his hands still clenched in a tight fist.

"Don't you ever mock to the good name of Crimea," he said darkly. "Don't you dare."

Link rubbed the blood off his mouth and smirked.

"Hmph. You even fight like a Crimean," he replied ignorantly. "Aim for the enemies vitals, too afraid to take them on from the front."

"Link, stop it!" cried Zelda.

But it was too late. By this time, Ike's eyes were already flaring with anger as he soon grabbed Link by the collar and lifted him up to his feet. He was about to land another hit on his face, but Link retaliated with a swift knee to the gut, forcing Ike to keel over and drop the Hylian. He quickly followed through with an uppercut, launching Ike upwards into the air and landing on the dining table. Zelda screamed again.

"Link! Cut it out!" She ran up to him and grabbed his arm again, but he easily threw her off, knocking her to the floor.

"I'm gonna reveal Ike for the liar he really is!" shouted Link as he pulled out his Master Sword and leaped up high into the air above the swordsman.

Zelda froze as she realized what he was planning to do. Link aimed his sword straight down at the stunned swordsman, preparing to use his Final Blow attack on Ike. The princess knew that if that hit connected, it would kill Ike instantly because they were not in a Brawl. The look in the green swordsman's eyes convinced her that he was being serious and he actually did plan on finishing Ike off for good. This had gone way too far out of hand.

Without thinking, the princess jumped to her feet and sent a flaming ball of energy at Link while he was still in midair. He barely dodged it, forcing him to drop the Master Sword and free fall onto the table next to Ike. The Din's Fire unleashed by Zelda continued on its path, blasting into the wall and igniting the curtains into flames. Zelda put both hands to her mouth out of shock at what she had done while Ike and Link were wrestling on the long table trying to get at each other's throats. They did not seem to notice the spreading fire on the wall.

Eventually, Ike managed to kick the Hylian off of him and get to his feet again.

"You idiot!" shouted the mercenary at the green Hylian. "Now look at what you've done!"

Obvisouly, he was referring to the fire that was spreading throughout the room, however, he did not realize that it was really Zelda's fault. Link pulled himself to his feet as well, but was pulled off the table by Zelda.

"Link! We have to get out of here!" she cried, tightly tugging on his arm.

Link quickly grabbed and sheathed his sword before complying.

"You're right," he replied, blood still coming from his nose. "Let's go."

The pair quickly ran out the door into the foyer, followed by Ike who was a few feet behind them. The fire had spread to the ceiling decorations and engulfed the long table and chairs. It would only be a matter of minutes before it found its way outside of the room and into the other parts of the mansion. And as the three Smashers vacated the room, not one of them realized Ike had left the letter behind on the table.


	3. Suspended

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 3: Suspended

* * *

After almost an hour, the fire in the dining room had been completely extinguished by Red and his Squirtle. Thankfully, none of the flames managed to spread outside of the room, but the damage was still pretty severe. For example, the entire table (valued at approximately 1500 Smash Coins) was charred to a crisp, as well as the forty matching chairs that had once surrounded it. All the pictures that had once lined the walls were now disintegrated along with the linen curtains and cheaply manufactured chandeliers. Mario and Luigi had been given orders to put hazard signs on the door to the dining room so none of the kids would accidentally wander in and hurt themselves.

Needless to say, everyone in the mansion was curious as to who could have started that fire. Gossip was passed, names were mentioned, but not one of them dared to accuse another without sufficient evidence. Of course, the first suspect to the incident was indeed Captain Falcon due his notorious history of setting things on fire in the mansion grounds. However, he claimed innocence, stating that he had only been in the dining room for a few minutes before grabbing a waffle and moving on to his daily walk around the house. So naturally, Master Hand's first decision was to round up everyone skilled with pyrotechnics, hoping to find the culprit using process of elimination. That plan, however, was also scrapped due to Zelda not wanting to get anyone else involved in Link and Ike's unfortunate dispute. After the last of the embers had been cleared away, the princess asked if she could speak with Master Hand privately in his office to tell him what really happened. Of course, Link and Ike were forced to come along as witnesses, despite the fact neither of them wanted to stand within twenty feet of the other.

The three Smashers stood before Master Hand's desk in his office silently. And as anyone could suspect, Zelda had to be the one to stand between the two swordsmen like a wall. She had been in Master Hand's office only once before, and that was when she had to sign the contract to join the Smash Brothers in the beginning. Surprisingly, not much had really changed since her last visit: the large window behind the desk had been replaced by a stained-glass version of a Smash Ball symbol, the walls were lined with famous poses by some of the Smashers, and Master Hand had bought a brand new chair (much more bigger and blacker compared to his old one). Sadly, standing there in silence with her two friends didn't make the Hylian princess feel any more comfortable, especially when they kept making faces at each other when the other wasn't looking.

After some time, the large glove finally rolled around in his large chair, revealing himself before the three Smashers.

"Good morning, princess," greeted Master Hand unenthusiastically. "How are you today? Ike, it's nice to see you around for a change. And Link, is that a new hat?"

The three friends stood in awkward silence again. None of them were buying the glove's small talk and he could see it.

"Ahem," started Zelda, "Hello to you too, Master Hand." She gave a small bow with her head. "Um. Look, about the fire downstairs..."

"Oh! No need to explain, princess," replied the hand waving a bit. "I already know what you are going to tell me."

"You... do?"

"Yes. You were going to tell me that the fire started because someone knocked over the candles and forgot about them. Let me assure you, that's quite alright, I mean-"

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "But that's not what happened."

The hand paused momentarily before replying.

"Oh? It's not?" he asked.

"No," muttered Zelda. "Look, Master Hand. It's my fault. I..." She glanced at Link who immediately looked down the floor upon making eye contact. "I set the curtains on fire with my magic by accident. I'm sorry."

The princess looked down at the carpeted floor in shame, praying to the goddesses that the punishment wouldn't be severe. Master Hand floated in silence for a few seconds before responding.

"Hm, I see," he said. "Er, why were you using your Din's Fire magic in the first place?"

"I can explain that, sir," said Ike, taking a step forward. "You see, Link over there thought it would be a good idea to fight in the dining room."

"Hey, you hit ME first!" replied the Hylian, his face flaring up.

Zelda put up hands to block the two swordsmen again.

"Link and Ike got into an argument and I thought I could have ended it by force," she said. "Unfortunately, my attack was misguided..." She lowered her head as Link snarled at the other swordsman. "If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know."

The large floating glove rapped his fingers across the desk in a rhythmic pattern as he took in all this information. He seemed pretty upset, yet at the same time somewhat impressed that an innocent girl like Zelda could cause such a commotion. However, recovering damaged property costs a lot of money, and that's what Master Hand despised the most about the whole situation.

"I beg your pardon, princess," responded the hand after a few seconds of silence. "But do you have any idea what you have just done?"

Zelda nodded her head hastily.

"Yes, sir," she said, "and I'm sorry."

"Do you have any idea," continued the hand, "how much it's going to cost to repair that room?"

"Yes, yes i do. I'm dreadfully sorry!"

"Hmph. Well 'sorry' isn't good enough. Forgive me, Zelda, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you for this mistake."

The Hylian princess gasped in horror as she heard those words. Link immediately took a step forward.

"Hold on sir," he said, putting up a hand. "It's not entirely her fault. If Ike hadn't tried to fight me, none of this would have happened."

Ike's eyes flashed with anger.

"Why you son of a-"

"I'm perfectly aware of that, Link," interrupted Master Hand. "But I have made up my mind. Zelda! From now until further notice, you are officially suspended from using any of your magic."

"Sir, you're making a mistake," pleaded the helpless princess, who was falling close to tears.

"This includes," continued the hand, "Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, Nayru's Love, and your ability to transform into Sheik. I hereby relieve you of your powers!"

With that, the large glove snapped his fingers and Zelda's magic dissipated out of her body. Blue, green and red auras seeped out of her skin and dissolved into the air. She had been reduced to just a regular princess.

Zelda found herself standing there in utter shock for a few seconds before bursting into tears and crying out the door. Link and Ike watched her leave in sadness while the hand returned his rhythmic tapping.

"Gentlemen, this issue is now resolved," he said. "I estimate about a week or two before the Waddledees can get the dining room fixed up and repaired again. Until that time, all formal meals will have to take place in the grand ballroom (since it's the only other room big enough to hold all of you at once). Go and spread the word."

Ike nodded slowly before giving a death-glare to Link and heading out the door. Link remained behind until he and the hand were the only two figures left in the room.

"Sir," began the Hylian, "I can't tell you how sorry I am for you. I mean, this whole accident must have put a lot of stress on your plate."

Link rubbed the back of his head nervously, but the glove did not seem fazed at all.

"Not really," he replied. "Waddledees will work for free. It's just getting the supplies to repair the room that's the killer. I can't just be throwing money away, I have a business to run here!"

"I understand completely," said Link with a bow. "But I truly believe that it was my fault the fire broke out. Had I not got in that fight with Ike, this would not have happened."

"What's your point, kid?"

"Sir, if it's alright with you, I would like to be the first to prepare tonight's dinner in the grand ball room. It's the least I can do to show my apologies."

The hand paused at the sound of the Hylian's proposal.

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Link," he said. "But do you really know how to cook? I'd rather not have you go to all that trouble if you can't handle an oven."

"I do," replied Link with a smirk. "I've made the Smashers dinner on several occasions. I even prepared the Halloween banquet last year (with Peach's help of course). A simple pasta with salad doesn't take much skill to make and serve."

"Hm..." pondered Master Hand. "I guess it's okay if you're up to it. Just make sure you get permission from Peach to use the stove, alright?"

"Thank you, sir. And I will. Tonight, we shall dine like kings."

"If you say so. Just don't do anything stupid."

With a solemn bow, the green Hylian waltzed out of the room. A dark smile soon found its way across his face as he stepped out into the hall. He only had six hours until dinner time.

* * *

"Come on, Zelda! Open up!"

Link pounded his fist on the door for the fifteenth consecutive time, but still the princess refused to let him in.

"Go away!" she cried, sobbing on her bed. "Leave me alone!"

Link took a step back in the empty hallway and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened in the dining room!" said the Hero of Time loudly. "But I had no choice! I couldn't let Ike get away with it!" The crying soon stopped as he said this, and the sound of locks unlocking could be heard from the other side of the door. Zelda opened the door and stood in her house robe, her eyes a bloody red and wet with tears. Link went up to her and took her hands. "I was only looking out for you," he said hopefully. "I didn't want you to be hurt."

Zelda quickly pulled away from him, tears starting to swell in her eyes again.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" she shouted. "You've been acting like a jerk ever since we went into that dining room! And this morning when I found you in the Training Room you were talking all different! What's going on, Link?"

She fell into his chest and started crying again. Link had no choice but to just stand there like an idiot as the princess of Hyrule cried her eyes out on his tunic.

"Zelda, I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. "Ike was just-"

"Ike Ike Ike! Is that all you ever talk about!" cried Zelda. "I don't know about you, but I TRUST Ike! I trust him because he's my friend! He told me he didn't write the letter so I believed him! You didn't have to provoke him like that! I came to you first because I thought you were my best friend! Yet you go ahead and pull a stupid stunt like that! And now Master Hand's mad at me and I'm standing here without any of my powers!" She turned away from him and put a hand to her forehead, massaging her temple slowly. "Dammit, Link. What's the matter with you? Why are you acting so... different?"

Link stared at her back, a serious expression taking over his face.

"I'm not acting different," he said. "I'm always like this."

"No you're not!" shouted Zelda, turning around to face him again. She shoved him aggressively in the chest, pushing him up against the wall. "You're not like this!" She pressed a sharp finger to his nose as more tears flooded her pale face. "You're kind and gentle! You want what's best for everyone no matter what the situation! During the Subspace Emissary, you didn't just care about my safety; you cared about everyone's safety (even Ganondorf's)!" She backed off, giving him the cold shoulder. "But you're not like that anymore. Now you're arrogant. Now you're a jerk to everyone except me. Now you just don't seem to care anymore."

"Look, if it hadn't have been for Ike-"

"Enough about Ike!" she cried, her eyes flaring in annoyance. "No more about Ike! No more about the letter! No more about the fire or the dining room or Master Hand! This is about _you_, Link! And I demand an explanation why you're not acting like yourself!"

Link looked down at the ground in shame as Zelda gave a long tired sigh. The two stood in the small hallway in silence for what seemed like minutes, but was really only a matter of seconds. Finally, the Hero of Time made his reply.

"Zelda, I care about you," he said with a stern look. "I care about you so much. I care about you more than anyone, more than anything else in this world."

The princess gave a slow nod, but her face was still wet with tears.

"So, that's it then. That's the reason why you're acting like a jerk." Her lips quivered. "You're in love with me."

"It's more than that," replied Link, taking a step towards her.

She retreated to her room and stood under the doorframe.

"No, I understand, Link. You think that just because someone else wants to show affection to me, that makes them wrong! You think that…that I belong to you like some kind of material possession! The moment someone tells me they love me, you can't stand to live with it and then you get all mad!"

"It's not like that!"

"Well, I've been stripped of my powers now. And Ike ISN'T in love with me. I hope you're happy."

She slammed the door hard on his face and ran to her bed crying again. Link rested his head on her door for a few moments before turning around and smashing his fist into the wall. He pressed his gloved hand into the wood so much that it made an imprint. Tears soon found their way down his face, but were soon replaced by a sinister smile.

"Hey Zelda," he said softly. "I'm making dinner tonight for everyone. Did you want to join us?"

She didn't hear him because he was talking so monotone, but the weeping continued from the other side of the door.

"Dinner will be held in the grand ball room tonight. Did Master Hand tell you?" he asked quietly.

More sobbing, but no answering from the Hylian princess. Link stood up tall and dusted himself off, adjusting his hat and belt.

"You're not gonna be there?" asked Link again. "Hm. Alright then. I'll bring you up something in case you get hungry. Just give me a few hours to get everything ready."

With that, the Hero of Time walked down the hallways and headed downstairs to the kitchen to prepare the big meal. Indeed, he planned on returning to the princess' dorm room later tonight. But he had the strangest feeling she was not going to invite him in with open arms.


	4. Dinner in the Ballroom

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 4: Dinner in the Ballroom

* * *

In less than a few hours, the grand ballroom had been entirely swept, mopped, and sanitized. The golden floors (compliments of ROB and his super scrub brush) were so clean; they could have been eaten off of like a glass plate. The Starfox crew were in charge of setting up the buffet table for the meal Link was preparing, along with Snake and Captain Falcon who had to bring in chairs and other tables. Wario took charge of the conveniently located bar on the side of the room. While all this was going on, Meta Knight and Pit flew large blankets up and strung the corners to the ceiling, making a "wall" to cut everyone off from wandering too far into the open room (they really didn't need all the space). Red and his Charizard lit up the candles attached to the chandeliers on the ceiling. Wine glasses and plastic cups were organized accordingly thanks to the other Pokemon. And if everything went according to plan, all the Smashers would be used to this new eating routine by the time the dining room was repaired. The only disadvantage with this new setup was that now the ballroom was too small and crowded to be used for dancing, and the blanket wall covered the only way to get to the balcony outside. But otherwise, everyone was looking forward to tonight's event.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Link, Peach, Mario and Luigi were getting the dinner ready. So far, they had prepared the spaghetti sauce, Greek salad, and cabbage rolls. The only thing left to do was wait for the bread rolls to finish baking and for the noodles to finish boiling. Other than that, things were looking good.

"Wow, Link," chimed the mushroom princess as she stirred the pasta in the large pot. "You're a real natural in the kitchen. I never would have guessed!"

Link reached into the oven with his cooking gloves and pulled out the hot tray of bread rolls, placing them on the counter easily.

"I don't know why everyone keeps telling me that," he replied, almost in annoyance. "I've cooked before; I really don't see why it's such a big deal." He turned away from the princess momentarily and then looked back at her with a bright smile. "But I'm glad you think so!"

After a wave good-bye, the Hylian picked up the steaming tray and brought it out into the ballroom. Mario and Luigi, who were fidgeting with the cabbage rolls in the second oven, exchanged unsure glances.

"Hey, is-ah everything all-ah right with Link?" asked the red plumber, scratching his head.

His brother shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't-ah know," he replied. "Oh well. Let's-ah go and get-ah these outside."

The two brothers picked up their large tray together and moved out into the ballroom, leaving the pink princess all to her lonesome. The pasta had finally finished cooking a few minutes after, and once everything was together, Peach moved her pot and bowls out into the large room where everyone was waiting. However, she knew Master Hand was going to make a speech before everyone could start eating; he liked the attention.

Once everyone was seated with their food (Link was sitting at a table with Ganondorf and Toon Link respectively), Master Hand took his spot in the center of the tables. He glanced about the room to make sure everyone was there (he didn't notice Zelda was still missing) before clearing his "throat" and beginning his speech.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he started professionally. "It is quite an honour to have you all here today in the grand ballroom."

"Pfft, like we had a choice!" interrupted Sonic from a table with Snake, Samus and Captain Falcon.

The large hand turned to the hedgehog quickly, cracking his fingers sharply as he went.

"Sonic, get your damn shoes off the table!" he shouted.

The hedgehog jumped in fright and put his feet back on the ground, smirking with embarassment.

"Stupid rat..." muttered Ganondorf under his breath.

"Hey! I heard that!" replied the hedgehog standing up.

"What are you gonna do about it, punk?" asked the Lord of Evil, crossing his arms with a sneer.

"Don't make me come over there!"

"You're too afraid to-"

"SONIC AND GANONDORF! ENOUGH!" screeched Master Hand slamming a fist into the floor. "God! I didn't even get past the introduction and already you two are fighting! I told you before, save it for the Brawls!"

Sonic sat down again pouting while Ganondorf just coughed deeply. Link rolled his eyes.

"_Come on, get on with it already_," he thought impatiently.

"Now, where was I?" asked the hand to himself. "Ah yes! Ladies and gentlemen, it is quite an honour to have you all here today in the grand ballroom."

"Are you going to be making speeches like this everytime we eat in here?" asked Samus raising a hand.

"No. Samus," replied the hand slowly, squeezing his fingers into a knot. "This is the only time I will be making a speech. Now, if you'll KINDLY let me finish?..." The bounty huntress put her hand down and nodded with a small smile. Master Hand was not fazed at all. He wondered if she was oblivious at all to the fact he was starting to get annoyed. "AS I WAS SAYING," continued the hand, looking around in case someone else was going to interrupt him. "All dinners will be held in here from now until further notice. I'm sure all of you are aware of what happened to our old dining room..."

Everyone in the room stared at Captain Falcon who put up his hands in defence.

"I told you it wasn't me!" he shouted nervously.

"Then who did it?" asked Peach who was sitting at another table with the Mario Bros. and Bowser.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule," answered the hand, causing some people to gasp in disbelief. "But it's irrelevant now; what's done is done and we can't change that. Thankfully, King Dedede's Waddledee's are taking care of the situation as we speak. Right, Dedede?"

The penguin king gave small chuckle before standing up at his table with Kirby and Meta Knight.

"You bet!" he replied. "Them Waddledee's know what they's doing! I got them Waddledoo's supervisin' the situation as well!"

"Splendid," said Master Hand. "I expect a full progress report by next week." The King gave a wink and a nod and sat down. Everyone gave a small applause and the hand was back to his speech. "Not only is the dining room being repaired now, but our meal tonight was prepared by none other than our very own Hero of Time, Link, with of course, the help of princess Peach and the Mario Bros. Let's give them a round of applause."

Everyone started clapping (not because they wanted to but more because they had to, otherwise risk going hungry tonight) and Link couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Erm. Thanks guy," he said, twiddling his fingers.

When the applause died down, Master Hand cleared his "throat" yet again.

"Ahem," he said. "We should all be thankful that the fire didn't do more damage than it did. Someone could have been seriously injured."

"Like Ganondorf..." snickered Sonic quietly.

Lucky for him, the Gerudo king didn't hear his comment.

"Actually," continued Master Hand, "it reminds me of the time-"

"Can we eat now?" asked Wario rudely, eyeing his plate of cooled pasta before him, saliva dripping from his mouth.

"Poyo!" replied Kirby in agreement, pounding the table with his fork and knife.

"You people are impossible, I hope you all know that," sighed the large glove before floating to the door. "Alright! Fine! Whatever! Eat your dinner! I'm tired of talking anyway."

He floated out the door and closed it gently behind him. After a few seconds of silence, everyone was chowing down to their food. Talking and socializing soon followed after and by the time it was time to move onto the cabbage rolls, everyone had completely forgotten about the fire.

That is, everyone except Link.

The Hylian found himself sitting in his seat quietly; staring at the door Master Hand had exited out of. He hadn't touched his pasta since he got it and it was now as cold as his glass of milk. Ganondorf, who was in the middle of devouring a buttered roll, noticed the green swordsman staring into space.

"Hey, you gonna eat that?" he asked, mouth half-full of food.

Link pushed his plate toward the Gerudo and stood up.

"Knock yourself out," he replied before walking towards the door.

"Hey Link, where you going?" asked Toon Link, looking up from his salad.

The Hero of Time made no reply and exited the room. Everyone had noticed him leaving, but no one was sure exactly what was wrong with him.

"I'm telling you, something isn't right here," whispered Ike to Marth and Pit who were sitting at the same table as him. "Link's been acting awfully strange lately."

Marth brushed his blue hair out of his eyes and took a sip from his wine glass.

"Really now?" he asked curiously. "How so?"

"I... I don't know. He seems to be more aggressive than normal, almost like he's... angry about something."

The Altean almost spat out his drink in laughter, but forced it back.

"Aha. Eh. Link angry about something?" he said. "That'll be the day."

"Maybe you should find out what's wrong with him?" suggested Pit, digging into a cabbage roll.

Ike rested his head on his hand and stared up at the ceiling.

"Maybe," he replied. "Maybe I will." He leaned back in his seat relaxed. "I'm not that hungry."

"You're not? Why? It's really good!"

"Well, I don't have to eat if I don't want to! I'll guess just take a bread roll for now..."

"It's all good, Ike."

The three friends laughed and clanked their glasses together in cheers. Everyone else in the room was too busy eating and mingling to notice that Ike wasn't touching any of his food. He hoped it would give him an excuse to leave early, perhaps to find out where a certain Hylian had disappeared off too.

And it was a real shame Zelda couldn't join the party. She was totally missing out.


	5. Best Friends

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 5: Best Friends

* * *

"_Dear goddesses of Courage, Wisdom and Power: please watch over Link. Please protect him from the forces of darkness, and give me the knowledge that will help me help him recollect himself. He hasn't been acting himself lately. I've noticed for the past few days now that he has seemed troubled. He doesn't give anyone any attention anymore. I know he watches me when my back is turned. Oh Din! Nayru! Farore! Don't let it be so! I am not in love with the great Hero of Time and Twilight! He is the closest friend I have ever had, yet now... we seem so distant, as if he were a different person on the inside. I beg you, please help him. If something is bothering him, let the weights be lifted off his shoulders and let me be the answer to his unecessary suffering. His change in attitude has caused others around him to dislike him. I don't want to have to leave him forever! Truly, there is some other way. Truly, he is merely going through a phase that will alleviate his pains over time. And if it is so, may that time be shortened tenfold, for I have asked you and you must help me. As the final heir to the Hyrule throne, you must help me. Don't let the path of evil pull him away. Don't make me drive him away like a mad boar; he is my hero. And I believe he will come through_."

Princess Zelda lifted her head up from her bed and stared out at the full moon through the window. She had spent the last few hours cooped up in her room crying and praying to her goddesses. She felt completely useless and vulnerable now that all of her powers were gone. Earlier, she had tried to distract herself by playing around with her hair and watching TV, but nothing seemed to be able to pull her mind away from the fact that she was just a regular girl now. She was just a regular girl with a friend who was going through some problems of his own.

At least, that's what she thought.

Zelda had known Link for the majority of her entire life, their first encounter being in the castle garden back when Ganondorf was on the verge of overthrowing the kingdom. It was there that the young lad first proposed and promised the princess that he would save the world from evil in its time of need. He was so carefree back then, so brave, so willing to do anything for the sake of justice. And he proved this fact during Tabuu's invasion of Subspace. Regardless of having to fight alongside Ganondorf, Link showed the Hylian princess that he did not let petty differences set him aside from what was truly right and wrong. She figured that after all the personal time the two had spent together, Link was convinced that she was the one for him. However, she did not feel for him in the same way and she thought that perhaps that was the reason why Link was acting like such a child now, picking fights with anyone who claimed to be in love with the beautiful princess of Hyrule. Why did he have to get so personal all of a sudden?

"_Link... what's happening to you_?"

She sulked in her bed quietly, the faint sounds of people talking emanating through the carpeted floor. Were they having a party down there or something? She could hear glasses clanking, laughter rising and dying, and some familiar voices. It really sounded like everyone was enjoying themselves downstairs, and it made her wonder why she hadn't been asked to join them for whatever reason they were all down there. Something was not right indeed.

After a moment of hesitation, the princess got up from her bed and dressed herself in casual dinner attire (long t-shirt and jeans), washed up her face, and fixed up her hair so that it wasn't all a stringy mess like it had been before. After confirmation in a mirror that she was ready to see what all the commotion was about, Zelda headed to the door, leaving the curtains open along with the view of the moon. However, when she grasped the doorknob to leave, the sounds had all somehow ceased.

Silence.

The voices had stopped talking, the glasses had stopped clanking, and the laughter had disappeared into thin air. Who stopped the party?

"_What's going on here_?" she thought to herself, wondering why in the world she couldn't hear anything. She coughed out loud to make sure she wasn't going deaf, confirming that yes indeed, the "party" or whatever was going on downstairs, had completely stopped. A small shiver soon found its way up the princess' spine as she stood with her hand on the ice cold doorknob. A quick knock from the other side caused her to jump in surprise as she let go of the door and backed off slightly.

"Hey Zelda," said Link's muffled voice from the other side. "You awake in there?"

The Hylian princess looked through the small window to see the Hero of Time standing out there completely unarmed with his arms crossed. He didn't seem to be in a very bad mood like before. In fact, he seemed awfully happy to be standing out there. Zelda opened the door a smidge and looked out so that only half of her face could be seen. Link's face pricked up as he leaned in closer to the small opening.

"What are you doing here, Link?" asked the princess partly out of curiosity and partly out of annoyance. Link stood up straight and put his hands up in defence.

"Easy, easy," he replied. "I'm not here to fight with you again."

"Then why are you here?" she asked impatiently.

The Hylian put his hand on the wall and leaned in close again.

"What, I can't stop by to see how you're doing?" he said. "Actually, I came up here to see if you were hungry. Everyone's eating dinner downstairs in ballroom right now."

The princess twitched her Hylian ears and listened closely for the sound of people eating, talking, or shouting. But the silence continued and she wondered in confusion why she couldn't hear the sound of everyone yelling at Kirby to stop inhaling all the food.

"I don't hear anything coming from downstairs," said the princess finally, still refusing to open the door all the way.

Link seemed to grind his teeth together nervously.

"Er... well yeah, that's because..." he said slowly. "Um, because... because Master Hand said he was going to go to bed early today! Yeah! Um, and he didn't want to be disturbed so he gave us strict orders not to make too much noise while we eat, eheh."

Zelda did not seem impressed.

"You're not... lying to me, are you?" she asked seriously.

"What? Oh no of course not!" replied Link hastily. "Zelda, I wouldn't dream of doing anything of the sort to you! I care about you too much."

"Then why is it that I heard the Smashers eating a few minutes ago? I thought you said they had to be quiet."

"Pfft. Well you know them; it takes a long time before they feel like following orders. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn..."

"Uh... huh..."

The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Link spoke up rather quickly.

"You mind if I come in? Er, that is, if you won't come downstairs. We can stay up here for a few more minutes if you like..." he said, looking downward slightly.

"It's alright, we can head down now," replied Zelda opening the door all the way. She took a step past the Hero of Time, but was immediately blocked by his body.

"Are you sure?" he asked hastily again. "You sure you don't need to get something?"

Her eyes seemed to fill with anger and annoyance just as it had in their last conversation.

"Yes I'm sure, Link," she said. "Now can you please move?"

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything? Are you absolutely sure?"

"YES LINK. I'm absolutely sure." She gave him a very angered look, ignoring the prayer she had said about him earlier that night. "Why do you keep insisting that I stay here? I thought you wanted to bring me downstairs for dinner!" Link paused for a moment, refusing to budge from his spot. He just stared at the princess without saying anything. Zelda waited for a reply but nothing came from the Hylian boy. "You know what?" she said finally. "Forget it, just forget it. I'll go hungry tonight."

She turned around and moved to shut the door on his face again. However, as soon as she took a hold of the door, Link had grabbed her from behind and shoved her into the room, slamming the door behind him in the process. Zelda broke out into a scream as the Hylian drove her straight onto the bed, locking her arms in his and flattening her body into the mattress. She fought and kicked and struggled but she was too fatigued from the loss of her magic powers from before. All she could do was cry. Cry and fear for what she thought her best friend was going to do to her.

The tears she had shed praying for the Hero of Time were now stained across the bed sheets.


	6. A Link from the Past

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 6: A Link from the Past

* * *

"Link, get off of me!" cried Zelda as she struggled to fight the Hylian off of her body.

Link quickly smushed his gloved hand over her mouth and crushed her body beneath his weight. He put his other hand on her arm to stop her from fighting back.

"Princess Zelda," he said with a cold smile, "you look absolutely gorgeous this evening. The white light of the moon only emphasizes on your features."

Zelda shook her head back and forth in an attempt to get his hand off her, but he pressed even harder causing her to stop.

"_Link, why are you doing this to me_?" she thought, tears in her eyes.

"Now that I have your attention," continued the green Hylian, "I have... a confession to make." He leaned in close and gave her a quick peck on the forehead; she did not resist. "I have been watching you for a long time, Zelda. Longer than you may have realized."

He took his hand off her mouth, allowing her to breathe freely again. However, she did not scream, but just stared into his face nervously.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked shaking a bit.

Link sat up on top of her stomach and looked out the window at the clear night sky. Everything was still silent.

"All my life I have wandered through the darkness," he began. "All my life, I have walked in his shadow. And every time I've stepped up to claim my rightful place in this world, he has always been there to push me back down. My counterpart. My enemy." The princess breathed deeply as she listened to Link say this. She didn't quite understand what he was going on about; she was more concerned with why he was sitting on top of her on her bed. "10 years ago," continued the Hylian, "he banished me from this world. He defeated me and left me in the darkness. Not even the Lord of Evil was generous to take me in. He rejected me because I looked like that boy. That stupid fairy-boy."

"Link..." replied Zelda slowly. "I don't underst-"

"But I came back," interrupted Link. "After the destruction of Tabuu, I came back, and he didn't see it coming. I am walking in his shoes. Eating his food. Wielding his legendary sword." He paused. "Kissing the one he loves the most." He leaned down again, this time planting a kiss on Zelda's lips. She made no move to return the gesture, but just laid there as he played with her mouth. As soon as he lifted up, she spoke.

"Link?..."

The Hero of Time sat up straight again and stared into her blue eyes.

"Do want to know who wrote that letter, Zelda?" he asked seriously. Zelda's eyes went wide for a moment, but other than that she made no reply. "I wrote it," he said. "I wrote the letter."

"But... why, Link?"

"I wrote the letter. I purposely got into that fight with that blue-haired idiot. I made it so you would get in trouble and lose your powers. I did it all because I knew that if I did, we would both end up here, me on top of you, and you completely helpless to do anything."

He grabbed her arms and held them down as he leaned in once more for a kiss. This time she tried to angle her head out of the way, but was soon caught and their lips connected. He aggressively moved his tongue around the outside of her mouth as she refused to open her lips. After a few seconds, he broke off of her, but kept her arms locked in place.

"I knew there was something wrong with you," said Zelda, small tears making their way down her face. "I knew since the very moment I saw you this morning."

"And I knew as well," he replied, "that upon discovering the letter you would come to me first. Your BEST FRIEND. But here's a little newsflash for you, princess: the Link you once knew before is gone. No more. Completely wiped off the face of the earth. You only have me now, and I am more than happy to take what he has been so afraid to accept in his whole life."

Suddenly, the Hylian opened his mouth wide, revealing a long, snake-like tongue. He got down close to her face and began licking her cheeks. She winced at the slimy feel, but soon opened her eyes in horror as she watched the Hero she once knew transform into darkness. Under the light of the moon, Link's golden blonde hair had faded and turned a pale white colour. His eyes had lost their warm blueness and melted into a deep crimson, his pupils remaining darker than they have ever been. His green tunic had been re-stitched in black and his skin became dark, almost like a Gerudo. Finally, white fangs revealed themselves alongside his long tongue as he finished caressing the princess with his saliva.

Zelda froze in terror.

"Dark... Link..." she muttered slowly.

The evil Hylian laughed as a demonic aura encircled his whole body, draining the princess' life energy from her every passing second.

"Yes, princess," he replied, his voice unchanged. "I have returned. After the battle of Subspace, I took your Link away. I waited for the opportune moment to strike. I wrote a letter that would make you lose your nerves. I caused you to set a fire off in the mansion. I purposely made it so Master Hand would punish you and make you vulnerable to me."

"But... why?..." she asked, almost in a daze. "Why would you go to all this trouble just to get me? You are... Link's enemy..."

"Aha, how right you are my dear Zelda," he replied, smiling with his set of sharpened teeth. "And what better way to humiliate the man who has ruined my life by taking the very woman he cares about? Not even the great Ganondorf could have conjured up a plan as cunning and thought-out as mine." Dark Link reached behind his back and pulled out a Kokiri knife, lining it up alongside Zelda's throat, causing her to jump at the feel of a cold blade. "You are mine now, princess," he said. "And whether you want to or not, I am going to take you. And it will be your blood that will stain the walls of this mansion for all eternity."

He cut her lightly under the cheek, causing a thin line of blood to trickle down the side of her face. She shivered in fear, tears flooding her eyes.

"What did you do with Link?" she asked finally, breathing in and out steadily.

Dark Link took the knife and set it above her head while grabbing her breast with the other hand.

"I got rid of him," he replied with a smirk. "But you shouldn't worry about it. I have something very special planned for you."

She gave out one finally cry before he forced his tongue into her mouth again. Her voice echoed throughout the entire mansion, through the halls, past the corridors, and into the grand ball room. No one was there to hear her scream.


	7. Imposter!

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 7: Imposter!

* * *

"Ugh... my head..."

Young Ike Greil grabbed his head as he sat up, a few half eaten pieces of bread falling from his face. He blinked a few times and shook his head slowly, feeling as if someone had knocked him upside the back of his cranium.

"Why is it so... dark in here?"

Looking about, the swordsman could tell he was still in the grand ballroom, yet for some reason, all the lights had been turned off. The only source of light in the room was that of the lone candles that sat idly in the middle of everyone's table. The happy voices that had once filled the room were now silenced. Ike closed his eyes for a moment trying to remember everything that had happened before passing out, but his mind just kept drawing a blank.

Glancing ahead, he saw prince Marth with his head face down on his empty plate of pasta, his hand loosely clenching a half-empty wine glass. Pit also had his head down, his brown hair a frizzled mess about his place mat. Immediately, the mercenary jumped to his feet in shock.

"Marth? Pit!" he said loudly, running to the Altean's side. He quickly pulled him up into a sitting position, but when he let go, the prince had fallen back down onto his plate. Ike could hear Marth's deep breathing and a slight snoring sound, causing his heart to relax a bit.

"_They're... asleep?_" he thought, looking between his two friends.

Indeed, both of the Smashers sitting at his table had completely fallen into a deep slumber. As a matter of fact, everyone in the dining room had seemed to have fallen asleep. People had their heads down on the tables, and those who were too short to reach the table ended up just falling asleep in their chairs. King Dedede was lying on the floor, his large thumb wedged between his lips.

"_This can't be happening_."

Ike grabbed Marth's shoulders aggressively and shook him about.

"Marth, wake up! Something's wrong with everyone!" he said pushing and tugging. Regardless of the blue-haired mercenary's attempts, prince Marth would not budge from his seat. He snorted loudly for a second before returning to his regular breathing pace.

Ike let go of his friend and began moving around to the other tables. And just as he assumed, everyone was stuck in the same suspended state of sleep.

"_But why am I the only one awake_?" he thought to himself. "_I was out cold for a bit... I think. Yet everyone else is still sleeping_..." He glanced at his table where a full plate of cold pasta sat next to his place mat. "_Unless_..."

He walked over to his spot and examined the food. Wincing a bit, he noticed small shiny fragments of (what appeared to be) glass sprinkled over the sauce. And that was when it hit him.

"_Someone poisoned the food_!"

He looked about again and saw that everyone had indeed finished their helping of pasta and were now sleeping on it. This was no accident, and the mercenary felt he knew the culprit behind this crime.

"_I have to tell Master Hand!_"

The swordsman made a move toward the door but froze at the high pitched scream of a woman in pain. His eyes went wide as he recognized the voice immediately.

"Zelda!" he cried, running out the ballroom doors and down the halls of the mansion. He thought about bursting into Master Hand's office for help, but for some reason, his mind drove him to the source of the screaming. And if Master Hand was in his office, Zelda was in her bedroom, and everyone else was sound asleep in the ballroom, that meant that there was only one other person who could have caused her to scream.

"_LINK!_"

Ike raced up the stairs two steps at a time, biting his lips worriedly as he wondered what on earth he was doing to her. In a matter of a few seconds, the swordsman had made it to the second floor and reached the hallway where Zelda's dorm-room lied. Her crying, along with the raspy voice of someone familiar, could be heard coming from the other side of the door.

"Don't resist..." said the muffled voice from inside. "Feel the pain... Feel my pain... The pain I endured over 10 years' worth of torture!"

Ike ran up to the door and grabbed the doorknob, but cursed loudly as he realized it had been locked and sealed from the other side.

"Zelda! It's me, Ike!" he shouted as he pummeled the door with his fists. "Who's in there with you?"

"Oh, I-Ike!" she replied, her voice shaking, her breaths short and frightened. "H-Help me! Plea-he-hease!"

She was crying; there was no doubt about it now.

"Shutup!" said the other voice as a cold gloved hand was placed over her mouth. The sound of furniture banging and the bed bumping into the wall could soon be heard after. "Dammit!" shouted the voice. "What the hell is he doing here!"

Ike gritted his teeth in anger, his fists clenched into knots of rage.

"Zelda! I'm coming!" he cried, slamming his fist into the door one final time, busting it down instantly. He burst into the room ready for a fight, but stopped when he noticed the scene before him. Zelda was lying on the bed, tears flooding her face, while a dark figure in black was on top of her pounding her with its waist. The banging and bumping of the furniture continued. "Get off her!" shouted the mercenary in fear, grabbing the dark creature from behind and throwing it into the nearby dresser. Zelda was frozen, twitching a bit, hyper-ventilating; she was in a state of shock.

"Ike..." she whispered before closing her eyes.

Ike quickly threw some blankets on her out of embarrassment, but soon turned to the thing he had thrown into the dresser.

"Meheheh. So you didn't eat the food I made for you?" asked the dark figure, standing up amongst the pile of splintered dresser wood. Upon staring into this creature's crimson eyes, Ike had forcibly taken a step back in fear.

"Link?..." he asked, dumbfounded as to how the Hero of Time had changed so dramatically.

Dark Link produced his Kokiri knife and began fingering the blade edge.

"Don't you dare compare me to him, Ike," said the dark figure through blood-smeared fangs. "I am twice the man Link was. I am not he, but he who has grown to a level far beyond what even the great Ganon could comprehend."

Ike reached for his Ragnell in its sheath, but cursed again under his breath when he realized he had left his sword in his room.

"Where is Link?" asked the blue-haired swordsman seriously, attempting to hold his ground in the poorly lit room.

Dark Link's serpent-like tongue slithered between his lips as he smiled menacingly.

"He's not here right now," he replied darkly. "I put him away somewhere. Somewhere where he will never disturb me again. But enough about him, Ike. You are the one who rudely came in on our 'alone' time. I guess pasta just isn't your thing is it?"

Ike gave a low growl before replying.

"So it was you all along," he said, tilting his head down slightly. "You're the one who poisoned the food at tonight's dinner. That explains why you left without eating anything."

"Actually," interrupted the dark Hylian, playing with the knife still, "I only spiked the sauce. Everything else was perfectly safe and edible."

"How long are they going to be asleep for?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess if they ate everything that was on their plate, the effects should last a mere few hours. And if you're wondering where ROB is by any chance, I took care of him as well; a simple Deku Nut in his hardware is all it took to temporarily put him out of service." He pointed the knife at the swordsman's chest. "I am also the one who wrote that letter this morning, in case you forgot about it already. All I had to do was put a little tension on the situation in order to make Zelda snap, which of course caused her to lose her powers and ultimately fall before the unstoppable being that I am. Any more questions, 'hero'?"

Ike was taken aback by all this information being told to him. He almost didn't want to believe it as if it were some kind of mind trick.

"Why are you telling this to me, Link?" asked the blue-haired mercenary, trying not to choke on his own dry throat.

The Hylian cried out loud and slashed the wall with his blade violently before returning to his regular stance.

"I already told you!" he shouted. "I am not Link! I am his superior! A shadow once cast away in days of old, now reborn with the strength of the ancients! I am DARK LINK!"

The figure leaped forward at an incredible speed, charging right into the unsuspecting swordsman. They grappled aggressively and the force of the attack caused both of them to fly out into the hallway, Ike on the bottom, his hands clenching the arm with the knife. Dark Link's breaths became heavier and heavier as he fought with all his might to drive the blade right into the mercenary's throat.

"Ugghh, you'll never get away with this!" cried Ike, fighting back with everything he could. He found himself struggling to keep the knife away from his face, regardless of the fact that he possessed superhuman strength.

Dark Link was far more powerful than he expected.

"I'm going to kill you, Ike," said Dark Link with a sneer. "I'm going to kill you first. Then I'm going to finish what I started with Zelda and I'm going to kill her too. It won't take me long to get all your little friends after that."

The two foes fought hard, but Ike could feel his strength being drained due to the dark magic emanating from the Hylian. He knew he could only last a few more seconds before collapsing and giving in.

"_Is this the end?_"

Suddenly, Dark Link cried out in pain as a thin blue laser shot from down the hall burned him in the side, giving Ike the opportune moment to kick the Hylian off himself and jump to his feet. Dark Link cried again as he was shot several more times, causing him to drop the knife in pain.

"Ike, stand back! I'll handle this!" said a familiar voice.

Ike turned around and saw the figure heading toward him, his face lighting up as if he had been saved by a guardian angel. It seemed that Dark Link had overlooked one fatal flaw in his plan.


	8. Lockdown

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 8: Lockdown

* * *

"Master Hand!" cried Ike as the large glove raced past him and hammered Dark Link into the wall with his fist. The creature struggled to keep up the fight, but he soon found himself bound in the grip of the superior floating hand.

"You're not getting away that easy, you little cretin!" said Master Hand, squeezing the black warrior tightly. Dark Link cried out in pain as his entire body was compressed.

"You!" he shouted, coughing up a little blood. "You're supposed to be in your office!"

Master Hand turned around and carried his prisoner over to the blue-haired mercenary.

"I heard a scream coming from somewhere in the mansion," he replied, bowing slightly to the swordsman. "When I went into the ballroom, everyone had been drugged to sleep. Then I heard a banging noise coming from up here. Looks like I got here just in time."

Ike gave a small sigh of relief while rubbing the back of his head.

"Thanks a lot, Master Hand," he said. "I owe you one."

"Think nothing of it, my young friend. Now, go and check on Zelda. I'll take care of our new 'guest'."

With that, the glove started floating down the hall and around the corner. Dark Link still struggled to break free but could not; Master Hand seemed immune to his dark magic.

"I'll get you for this, Ike!" he cried while being carried off. "This isn't the end! When I get out of here, I'm going to get you AND Zelda! SHE WILL BE MINE!"

Master Hand soon slipped his index finger over Dark Link's mouth to keep him from talking.

After all the excitement had quieted down, Ike ran into Zelda's room. The area was still only lit by the moonlight through the balcony window, but the swordsman could easily see that the princess had vacated the bed, leaving it in a tangled mess of blankets and sheets.

"Zelda? Where are you?" asked Ike, examining the ruined dresser on the other side of the room. Suddenly, he heard the sound of water running and turned towards the bathroom. The lights were on and the door was locked. "Are you in there, Zelda?" he asked again, putting his ear up against the side of the door.

There was no answer for a moment, causing the swordsman's heart to quicken, but the sound of the maiden's voice calmed him down again.

"I am," she replied slowly and unsurely. "Please…go away."

Ike stood there frozen in his boots, unsure of how to respond. A part of him wanted to stay and talk to her, to see if there was anything he could do. But another part of him, a part that was holding on to his common sense, told him to just leave. A few seconds past before the swordsman turned towards the door and left, his fists clenched with rage.

He ended up standing in the hallway for a few minutes listening to the shower running. In all honesty, he felt the guiltiest for what had happened to Zelda that night. Had he been there sooner, he may have been able to prevent what Dark Link did to her. He wasn't even sure how far he got with her. They could have been in there from anytime since "Link" left the dining room in the beginning.

"_So, that never was Link in the first place?_" thought the swordsman to himself, placing a palm on the wall. "_It was really just Dark Link in disguise? Of course! Why didn't I realize it after the way he was treating me this morning! But how could Dark Link have gotten here without anyone noticing? And... what happened to the real Link?_"

If the Link he met this morning really was just his evil double in a disguise, then surely the real Hero of Time was floating around somewhere. The mercenary only prayed that Dark Link hadn't really killed the real Link like he said earlier; Zelda would not be able to bear the news. At this point for Ike, there was only one thing to do: Make sure his fellow Smashers were alright. The swordsman headed down the hall and down the stairs, but not before turning around to pick up the Kokiri knife.

* * *

Ike made his way back to the darkened hall outside the grand ballroom. The atmosphere was still as silent and empty as he had left it. He could feel a chilling essence move through the air, brushing his cape slightly and sending goose-bumps up and down his spine. It was hard to believe that not even an hour ago he had been dining peacefully in the company of his most trusted friends. Friends that had fought with and against him on multiple occasions, yet still the closest thing he had to family in this mansion. With all of them out cold, he couldn't help but feel lonely. But perhaps it was just the strange turn of the events that was getting to him.

Casually, the mercenary reached out to open the doors to the ballroom, only to find that they would not budge. He tried yanking again, a little harder this time, but to no avail. Something was definitely not right. Ike propped his foot up against the wall and pulled back on the handle with all his might, yet for some reason, this door just did not want to open for him. Ike stood there, staring at the obstacle, pondering what force or spell could be holding it shut against him.

"There's no point in trying," said a low voice behind him. "The mansion has gone on lockdown."

In an instant, Ike whirled around on his heels to come face to face with…well, nothing.

"Who said that?" asked the swordsman, glancing around in the darkness.

"Down here."

Ike tilted his head slightly, sheathing his weapon upon recognizing the familiar mask.

"Oh, Meta Knight," he replied. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

The Star Warrior gave a nod. "As expected," he said calmly.

The two swordsmen stood in silence for a moment before something clicked in Ike's head.

"Hey wait a second!" he exclaimed. "How did you get out here?"

Meta Knight turned slightly and closed his eyes.

"I used the door," he said plainly. "I'm not sure if you were aware, but that food was poisoned. Fortunately, I did not plan on eating anything tonight; I merely attended tonight's event out of respect for Master Hand." The small swordsman turned back towards the other Smasher. "About ten minutes after Master Hand's speech, people started collapsing, including you. I immediately flew to Master Hand's office to tell him what had happened. And it was in the midst of my report that we both heard a scream coming from the dorms."

Ike bit his lip, the guilt returning to his inner conscience.

"It's my fault," he spat, avoiding the Star Warrior's golden gaze. "I wasn't quick enough. And Dark Link…he…he ra-"

"I know," interrupted Meta Knight, completely anticipating what Ike wanted to say. "Nevertheless, the princess is safe for the time being, but I'm afraid we have more to worry about at the moment." The Star Warrior paused before continuing. "All the doors, walls, and windows in the mansion have been sealed and reinforced by a magic spell. No amount of brute force can penetrate it. It is standard protocol for the mansion's security system whenever there is a dark presence in the vicinity."

The mercenary stared at the shorter warrior for a few seconds as he took all this new information in. Now, Ike wasn't one for logic (as a matter of fact, he hated math with a passion), but he could hold his own when it came to strategies involved on the battle field and in times of peril. But he could not get over the fact that Master Hand would allow a security system that quarantines the entire mansion when there is a foul entity nearby. He at least hoped the system was intended to keep foreign suspects out of the mansion, but if that was the case, why not just have a magic barrier protect the building all the time? This floating hand may have been the boss, but he couldn't help but disagree with the methods used to keep this place safe. It was almost hilarious from a sick and twisted point of view.

"He's trapped us all in here," said Ike with a serious tone. "But I don't understand. Dark Link was captured by Master Hand when we were upstairs. I saw it happen!"

The Star Warrior shook his head slowly and closed his eyes.

"The fact that this door has not unlocked itself means that he has not been captured. And if that's the case…"

Ike's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh no…"

The mercenary charged past the Star Warrior and back to the mansion foyer as fast as he could. Meta Knight, on the other hand, just watched him go.

"It's too late," he said to himself. "He has broken free."

The dark and chilling essence that had blown through the halls before had returned, sweeping up Ike's cape in the wind. A sinister laugh soon echoed throughout the mansion, taunting the blue-haired mercenary as he stormed up the stairs and towards Master Hand's office. He didn't want to believe it. Since the fall of Tabuu, there had been no being of this world or otherwise that could defeat Master Hand. The more he thought about it, the more those lonely feelings returned to him, and the more he felt like a hero that couldn't even save a princess from her worst nightmare. He was just Ike. Just a soldier made for fighting with a fear of things that go bump in the night. And as he approached the shattered doorway, he could already feel his skin crawling with fear.


	9. The Truth

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 9: The Truth

* * *

The water was steaming hot, yet the princess of Hyrule couldn't help but feel all the more cold.

She stood in the shower completely still, the water aimlessly drizzling down her white and naked body. Her arms were crossed in a fashion that did not express anger nor frustration, but fear. She was hugging herself. And as she stood there frozen under the water, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Dark Link. The mere mention of his name could send children running home to their parents. He was born into this world neither Hylian nor beast, but as a spirit. A dark, restless spirit that resided in the back of Link's subconscious. He had first appeared to the Hero of Time while on his quest to save Hyrule from Ganondorf's tyranny. They met in the Water Temple, the ancient structure located under the great Lake Hylia. It was in those abandoned ruins, twisted labyrinths, and endless waterways that Link learned of his dark side. It was a part of him that he wanted to forget, something that should have been kept secret, and he was able to slay it within the empty caverns of the temple.

At the time, it was not known to Zelda that Link actually did love her. After defeating Ganondorf and saving the kingdom, Link had proposed to Zelda on the spot. He had asked her kindly to marry him so that they could rule Hyrule together, just as all fairy tales should end. Princess Zelda, however, had no desire to wed this Hylian, and immediately rejected his proposal in a matter of seconds. It was not that Zelda did not have any feelings for Link; she loved him like a brother, or perhaps more like a best friend. But it was her royal duty to protect the kingdom, which ultimately, caused her to turn away from him. She felt that a relationship could possibly alter some of her own decisions for her people, and to be perfectly honest, she felt content with the way she was. Although Link pleaded for the princess to give him a reason why she rejected him, she refused to say any more. Instead, Zelda banished Link seven years into the past so that he could relive his childhood after missing out on all those years he skipped due to the Ocarina of Time. It's been ten years since that tragic event occurred. Needless to say, Zelda and Link were still best friends and they could possibly have one of the best lasting relationships between anyone in the mansion.

But if Dark Link was defeated, then how was he able to return?

Zelda contemplated in the shower. She had been standing by herself for about 10 minutes, shivering every now and then at the thought of Dark Link's touch on her skin. Her lower region still throbbed with pain after her encounter with her assaulter, and that's what ultimately was causing her to shed a few tears. If she had her powers, she could just use her magic to heal herself back to full health, but the events from the day had caused her to become weak and fatigued. It also didn't help that she had gone without dinner.

The princess looked down at the floor, bloody water seeping down the drain. She cringed at the thought that entered her mind yet again as she endured the constant pain she was bearing. She didn't understand.

"_If everything that Dark Link said was true, then why didn't he kill me on the spot?_" she thought to herself.

She had never felt so violated and afraid in her life. Even as a child, Princess Zelda always had bodyguards protecting her from everything, making sure that she was one hundred percent safe and happy at all times. There was one time she could recall back in Hyrule when a little boy had somehow snuck into the castle courtyard when Zelda was practicing her singing. Upon noticing the boy, two of her guards charged at him, bent him over, and smacked him for trespassing before sending him back home to his mother on the back of a supply carriage. Zelda had asked her guards why they had gone to so much trouble just to get rid of the boy, to which they replied that he could have been an assassin or a Poe in disguise. Welcome to Hyrule Castle.

The more the princess thought about it, the more she hated herself for not realizing that Link had been Dark Link all along. It was actually the day before this morning that Zelda had noticed Link's peculiar behaviour…

* * *

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

_GO!_

_Zelda jumped up to the floating platform on Pokemon Stadium, kicking Captain Falcon in the face with a high heel and causing him to fall down to the ground below. The F-Zero pilot soon recovered with a defensive roll, followed by a swift flaming upper cut, sending the princess up into the air, smoke trails following in her wake. The princess landed forcefully and immediately conjured up Din's Fire, which she unleashed on the racer. Falcon hastily reacted by raising his shield and blocking the attack, following through with a Falcon Kick at supersonic speed towards the princess. Zelda barely side-stepped out of the way before sending an electric shock through the racer's body as he passed by. The resulting fireworks sent him flying through the air._

"_Falcon noooooooooooo!" cried Falcon, before falling out of the stage boundaries, removing him from the Brawl until the next match._

"_PLAYER THREE, DEFEATED."_

_Zelda professionally taunted with a twirl and then turned her attention towards her partner, Link, who had been skirmishing with Sonic on the other end of the stage._

_Link slashed forward with his sword, completely missing the speedy hedgehog, who had simply jumped over the attack._

"_Come on, Link! You gotta be faster than that if you want to catch me!" teased Sonic as he boosted himself up into the air by hopping on the Hylian's head. Link cursed under his breath as he fell to his knees briefly from the force of the quick move. He instantly slashed around him, missing again, before looking around to see where Sonic had landed._

"_Up here!"_

_Sonic stood triumphant on the floating platform, waving playfully at the swordsman._

"_Don't give up now, Link," said Sonic. "I've still got a lot of juice left."_

_Link wiped the sweat from his face before responding._

"_All you do is run!" he shouted angrily. "Why don't you come down here and face me like a man!"_

"_Sorry pal," snickered the hedgehog. "Running is what I do be-HEY!"_

_Zelda soon grabbed Sonic's arms behind him and held him in place using her magic. The blue hedgehog struggled to break free, but the bindings that emitted from the princess' hands were too strong. Zelda smirked._

"_Any last words before I throw you off the stage?" she asked playfully._

"_Well, now that you mention it…"_

"_Hold him right there Zelda!" shouted Link as he leaped up to the platform, wielding his sword tightly in his grip. "Hold him so I can behead this pathetic joker and silence him once and for all!"_

_The princess and the hedgehog both stared at the Hylian awkwardly, their eyes slightly wider than they had been a few seconds ago._

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a second!" cried Sonic. "You're not actually serious, are you?"_

_Link smiled darkly, lifting his blade above his head._

"_I never joke."_

_The Hylian gave one final slash with all his might at the hedgehog's throat, the force of the attack causing Zelda to lose grip of her opponent and fall flat on her butt. But instead of his head flying off, as Link would have hoped, Sonic instead just ended up soaring high into the air, screaming at the top of his lungs as he disappeared far off into the distance. _

"_PLAYER FOUR, DEFEATED."_

_Zelda just sat on the multicolored ground in shock, incredulous to what she had just witnessed. Link, on the other hand, was not fazed at all, and began laughing harshly as he swung his sword around aimlessly._

"_Haha! His head didn't fall off, but that was still hilarious all the same!" he said. "That ought to teach the little prick a thing or two about messing with me!"_

"_Link!" cried Zelda as she got to her feet._

_Link's immediately stood at attention, sheathing his weapons and smiling at the princess casually._

"_No worries, princess," he said casually. "We won the match fair and square. I think I'm beginning to like this 2.0 damage ratio."_

"_What the hell was that back there?" she asked seriously, completely ignoring his comment._

"_What? What are you talking about?" Link replied in confusion. "I gave that stupid hedgehog what he deserved. It was too bad his head didn't really fly off though…"_

"_That!" she said. "Why would you say something like that!? You had me worried for a second!"_

_Link raised an eyebrow curiously._

"_I…don't see where you're going with this."_

"_You've never said anything that threatening to anyone before," she explained, looking at her friend directly in the eyes. "And you and Sonic are good friends." She paused briefly before continuing. "Link…are you okay?"_

_Link frowned at her as soon as she finished that last sentence._

"_Yes, I'm fine. It's no big deal really. I guess I was so caught up in all this excitement that I didn't realize what I was saying…"_

_The princess looked at the swordsman hopefully, causing him to turn away from her gaze for some reason. A few more seconds of awkward silence past before she responded._

"_Alright then…if you're sure," she said hesitantly._

"_Trust me," he replied. "Everything is fine. Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat; I'm getting kind of hungry."_

_She nodded, a serious expression still retained on her face._

"_Okay."_

_The two of them were about to board the transfer platform to return them to the mansion before Link stopped momentarily, smiling at the princess._

"_Zelda…if it makes you feel any better, I'll go apologize to Sonic for what I did," he said. "Maybe I did lose control of myself."_

_A small smile soon grew on Zelda's face as well._

"_Thank you, Link. That would make me feel a lot better."_

_With that, the two friends boarded the platform and were instantly teleported back to the mansion grounds._

_And Link never did apologize to Sonic for what he said._

* * *

After drying off, Princess Zelda got back into her regular clothes and started fixing her hair. Most of the pain from Dark Link's assault had ceased and she was feeling more confident in herself after recalling the event that took place on Pokemon Stadium. She knew now that even though she was just a normal girl for the time being, she still had a duty as a princess. And that duty was to protect herself and her friends from the forces of darkness, even if it kills her. Indeed, she had merely gone into the shower to contemplate on the current situation; not really to clean herself except for the bloody mess around her legs.

She made her way back into her bedroom soon after to see the room just how she had left it: The bed was a tangled mess of blankets and sheets, a few blood stains here and there, the dresser near the corner of the room smashed to pieces, and the door leading to the hall collapsed entirely. Although she was almost certain the Dark Link was in captivity now, she couldn't help but shiver a little as she looked about the room. His presence was still near.

Mechanically, she glanced at the clear sliding door that lead to the balcony to find a reflection of the dark creature staring back at her through the glass. She shrieked instantly and took a step back, nearly tripping over her own feet. The image of Dark Link just stared at her with crimson eyes, perfectly still, his icy hair flowing in the wind outside.

"Zelda…" he said, almost as if he were calling for her. "Zelda…"

Zelda held her ground, her heart beating intensely, trying to fight back the fear that was trying to creep back into her mind.

"I-I'm not afraid of you," she said, slightly startled as she clenched her fists. "You're just an illusion in the glass. You can't touch me."

"Indeed I am," he hissed, smiling a little to reveal his long fangs. "But it won't be long now. I'm coming to get you." He chuckled to himself a little.

"You can't get me," replied Zelda strongly. "Master Hand took you away."

"Master Hand…" said Dark Link before trailing off and laughing to himself again. "Master Hand is not going to do you any good."

Zelda's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Master Hand is no longer in control of the situation here, princess," he said. "I've escaped. It really wasn't that difficult either. It seems that Link's feelings for you were stronger than you may have initially believed."

Zelda didn't say anything in response, but tilted her head towards the ground instead as she thought about her old friend.

"Have you figured it out yet, princess?" he asked. "Do you know why I'm here? Why I'm going after you? Why I even exist?"

Silence befell the conversation momentarily before Zelda opened her eyes and stared at the reflection on the other side of the room with determination in her eyes.

"Yes," she said. "I do know." She approached the window and stood directly in front of the image so that she and Dark Link were standing face to face. "You are not merely the 'dark side' of Link. You are the part of him that he cast off from his spirit when rejected his proposal ten years ago." She paused to see if the reflection had anything to say before continuing. "You are his anger. His frustration. His pain. His lust. And what remains of his love for me. But he couldn't endure having to deal with these feelings for me at the time. So instead, he banished them from his own body. And that it all you are, Dark Link. You are a shadow; nothing but the shed skin of a reptile that wants to carry on with a new body and new beliefs. And that is why you want me." She looked away from the window. "So that no one else may have me." She turned back towards the image to find that he was still staring at her. "But unlike Link, you haven't accepted change. You're still as immature and weak-minded as Link was all those years ago. You've lived your entire life based on my emotions. And that only to show how pathetic you really are." She leaned in close towards the dark figure. "I'm not scared of you," she said seriously. "In fact, I'm not scared of you at all. Now that we've had this talk, I can finally look at you for what you really are. You're not a monster that hides under the bed and scares children in their sleep. You're just a lost soul with one purpose and one purpose only: To fulfill the desires that have been embedded into your mind from the very beginning."

Dark Link glared at the princess momentarily before another smirk crept across his face.

"Congratulations," he said finally, "on coming to this realization. And you're absolutely correct. I am only here to perform the duty that has been cursed upon me since my creation. But perhaps, princess, we ought to put things in perspective here. If it hadn't been for you turning down Link's generous marriage proposal, I wouldn't even be here standing at your balcony window."

"If I didn't turn down Link's marriage proposal," replied Zelda, "then neither he nor I would have ever come to join the Smash Brothers. "We would rule the kingdom of Hyrule until death and then that's where the story would end." She smiled. "But I've met so many wonderful people since I've come here. I've learned so many things, and I've become a stronger person altogether. I know how to fight now. How to stand up for myself. And I know now that just because I am a princess, it doesn't mean I have to cower behind my knight in shining armor. You may have taken away my powers, Dark Link, but I still have the one thing that you can never take away from me: The person who I am. And mark my words: You will be defeated. I don't know how or when, but you will be defeated. Even if I have to rally every fighter in this mansion, I will not rest until I find the real Link."

Dark Link nodded.

"Very well, princess, have it your way," he said. "Confidence or no confidence, I'm still going to kill you. Also, I hate to burst your bubble, but the mansion has gone on lockdown since I took care of Master Hand. Every major room in the building has been sealed shut with a magic barrier, so all your little 'Smasher buddies' have been taken care of already. The only thing standing between you and I right now is that blue-haired moron, but he shouldn't be too hard to take care of anyway. Still feeling good about yourself, princess?"

Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped herself, mentally cursing instead.

"Hmph, that's what I thought," he snarled. "I'll give you a few minutes to say your last good-byes to Ike, but once your time is up, it's game over. I'll close my eyes and count to 100. Better run along now."

The image on the window disappeared and Zelda was left staring out into the night sky, the full moon hovering ominously above. The princess hesitated before exiting the room and running down the halls, calling for Ike. She knew that Dark Link wasn't lying about the Smashers being locked up; it had all been part of his elaborate scheme all along. She prayed to her goddesses that her feet could carry her fast enough to find her friend before it was too late. She ran to Master Hand's office and peered inside, staring in disbelief at the scene that lay before her.


	10. Brawl!

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 10: Brawl!

* * *

Zelda put her hands to her mouth in horror as she watched her superior struggle to move. Master Hand was lying face up in the middle of his office covered in cuts and bruises from the tips of his fingers all the way to his wrist. Ike knelt by his side, defeated, as if the one and only hope that he had for killing Dark Link was gone. Zelda watched in silence from behind as the swordsman attempted to communicate with the hand.

"Master Hand…how did he do this to you?" Ike asked, putting hand on the large glove.

The great being twitched a little before coughing out a reply.

"Ike…he's more powerful than we thought. I could feel the energy draining from me…" He coughed again. "He was unarmed…but he had claws...he tore me to shreds…"

The hand moaned in pain again as he struggled to get up, but fell back down into his original position.

"Don't move!" said Ike, holding him steady. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"It's too late, Ike," said the hand. "I let you down…Please don't tell the others I had to go this way…"

"You're going to be alright, you hear me?" said Ike loudly, tears forming in his eyes. "You're going to be alright."

"Listen to me, Ike," started the hand. "You need to get out of here…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Dark Link is too strong for any of you. Run…and take the princess with you."

Ike shook his head.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" he cried. "We're all trapped in this mansion anyways because Dark Link is free. We need to find a way to kill him!"

"There is…no way…" mumbled the hand. He exhaled a bit as he trailed off, finally relaxing his body. "I won't die. But the least you can do is save yourselves before he gets you."

"But Master-"

"I said go! Ike…"

With that, the large hand fell silent, falling asleep on the floor. Ike sat there in silence, weeping for the one who had trained him and all his friends. His heart jumped when he heard a girl sniffling behind him.

"I'm sorry," said Zelda as she began crying as well.

Ike rose to his feet and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes before running over to the princess and embracing her in the best hug he could give.

"It's okay, Zelda," replied Ike, regaining his composure and pretending that the princess did not see him crying. "I promise you that we'll make it out of here. And we will stop Dark Link."

Zelda looked up at him, wiping away her tears.

"Right," she said. "We can do it…together."

They both gave a small smile towards each other before hugging again; it was a little warmer this time.

After a few moments of silence, Ike adjusted his headband and raised a fist.

"Let's go," he said. "We need to find Meta Knight and I need to get my sword."

"Meta Knight?" asked Zelda as she quickly followed her friend out of the room and down the hall. "He's here?"

"Yes," replied Ike, going from a walking pace to a slight run, "we're going to need all the help we can get if we're going to stop Dark Link. This way."

They both rounded a corner and maneuvered into Ike's room, which had been empty for almost the entire evening. Ike never bothered to lock his door however, since no one in the mansion ever dared to steal anything from him. He could easily break anyone's arm if he really tried.

Ragnell was lying on the bed, to which the swordsman immediately grabbed and sheathed. He noticed the Kokiri knife strapped to his belt and took it out momentarily.

"He's probably going to want this back," muttered the swordsman as tossed it up in the air and then replaced it on his belt. Zelda stared at the shining metal object, her heartbeat rate increasing a bit.

"Please," she said, closing her eyes in frustration. "Don't play with that thing." She walked out of the room ahead of Ike. The mercenary, being the thick-skulled individual that he was, just shrugged it off and followed her.

* * *

The two friends ran to the foyer, Dark Link's laughter echoing through the mansion yet again.

"Where the hell is that coming from?" asked Ike as they approached the top of the staircase.

"Hello!"

The two friends looked over the banister railing of the second floor to find Dark Link standing in the middle of the room on the first floor. He was waving at the Smashers childishly, almost as if he had been expecting them.

"I've been expecting you!" said Dark Link with an evil smile. "You have something that belongs to me, Ike."

Ike gripped the knife on his belt before letting go and standing tall.

"Dark Link," he stated, "your plan ends here!"

Ike unsheathed his Ragnell and swung it around professionally, gaining a feel for the heavy weight of the weapon.

Dark Link unsheathed his own weapons as well: A Hylian Shield with dark engravings embedded into the metal and a shadowy counterpart to Link's Master Sword. Dark Link clanged his sword on the tiled floor in anticipation.

"I'll get rid of you first," he said, "then there will be nothing to stop me from getting to her." He glanced at Zelda, who glared back menacingly. "Zelda will be mine."

"In your dreams, you creep," replied Zelda, taking a stand next to her trusted friend at the top of the stairs.

"Enough chit-chat! Let's make this quick while the night is young!"

"It'll be a pleasure," said Ike before hopping onto the rail and sliding down to meet his foe.

He leapt off the end as he reached the bottom, lunging at the waiting swordsman with his broadsword. Dark Link immediately raised his shield, sliding back a few feet from the force of the impact. Ike followed through with a horizontal slice, to which the other fighter responded with yet another block, this time with his sword. Dark Link then slashed forward, forcing Ike to jump back to recover. Zelda watched helplessly from above as the epic duel was about to unfold.

"Be careful, Ike!" she called, completely aware of the potential power that Dark Link could be holding back. She was surprised to see that Ike wasn't fighting very cautiously and was instead going with all-out attacks on the enemy. Even after seeing the state Master Hand was left in, Ike was not intimidated at all by Dark Link's power. In a way, this was a good thing, but the main disadvantage that Ike had was that he had no magic of his own. If he were to slip up just once, it would give Dark Link the perfect opportunity to come in for the kill and drain the Crimean of his ox-like strength.

"Aether!" shouted Ike as he chucked a rapidly spinning sword at Dark Link. Dark Link narrowly dodged the attack with a side-step; however he did not anticipate the second part of the attack. Ike rushed to his sword at lightning speed as it was still spinning and slashed Dark Link on the side, causing dark blood to spill into the air. The evil being cried in pain.

"Argh! Lucky shot," he snarled before retaliating. Dark Link dashed to the left and then to the right, faking the first dash and swiftly striking Ike in the arm with his sword, causing more blood to spill and Ike to flinch.

"Ah!" The blue-haired swordsman swung far, causing his foe to jump back and making some distance between them. He paused for a bit as he gripped his wound tightly, blood seeping between his fingers and dripping to the floor.

Dark Link licked the edge of his blade sickly.

"Heh. Some kind of armor that is," he said. "I'm surprised you haven't tripped over your own cape yet."

Ike gritted his teeth in response, but said nothing. Shaking the pain off, the swordsman got back into a fighting stance and ran at his opponent. He lunged forward again, but this time, Dark Link dodged it by jumping high into the air and over his head. He then kicked Ike the back as he landed, causing the mercenary to stumble a bit. He then slashed again with his sword, but Ike was able to react on time and deflect it with his own weapon. The next few attacks consisted of them lunging and blocking with their feet remaining in relatively still positions. It appeared as though these two swordsmen were of equal levels when it came to sword fighting. Unfortunately, due to the nature of Ike's weapon, it was a lot harder for him to keep up with Dark Link's attacks. He soon found himself to be on the receiving end of the assaults, finding only enough time to react instead of initiate.

"What's the matter, Ike?" teased the dark entity between attacks. "Getting tired?"

Ike did not respond, but just kept blocking attack after attack. Eventually, Dark Link had knocked enough energy out of him to pull off an even dirtier tactic. He slammed his shield into Ike's sword, leaving the blue-haired mercenary wide open for an attack. Dark Link slashed across his chest, causing Ike to wail in pain as he fell to the ground. Zelda gasped in horror.

"NO!" she cried.

Ike tried to strike back, but Dark Link gave a swift kick to his stomach, forcing the swordsman to drop Ragnell onto the floor. Dark Link then kicked the broadsword across the room and out of both of their reaches before pointing his own sword at Ike's throat.

"Well played, Ike," said the dark creature with a smirk. "But it looks like I came out on top in this one."

Again, Ike was silent, his eyes staring not into the eyes of his enemy, but at his boots. He was breathing heavily, awaiting his inevitable fate.

"Game over."

Dark Link raised his sword up high, preparing to bring it down on the mercenary's head, but was interrupted by the sound of a booming male voice.

"3…

2…

1…

GO!"

"What?" said Dark Link in confusion.

Ike immediately jumped to his feet and swiftly slashed Dark Link in the face with the Kokiri knife. No blood loss resulted from the attack; however, Dark Link was sent flying across the room and slamming into the wall before collapsing on the ground and dropping his weapons. A spark of hope soon surged through Zelda's body.

"A Brawl?" she asked. "But how? The only one who can initiate such a thing is-"

"Master Hand," said Ike, retaining a serious expression. "Thank you, Master Hand." The swordsman ran over to his Ragnell and brandished the weapon. Dark Link finally rose to his feet.

"Oh no, not this shit again," said Dark Link, a frustrated tone in his voice.

"You know the rules," replied Ike. "As long as a Brawl has been initiated, neither of us can bleed nor die. It will only end when one of us falls out of bounds." He paused for a moment before continuing. "And by the looks of it, it will be impossible for either of us to fall out of bounds since we're all locked in this mansion."

Dark Link sheathed his weapons and dusted his hands off.

"I swear, whoever came up with the concept for this game had no imagination whatsoever," he said, rolling his eyes. "No matter. There's no point in wasting my time fighting you if we can't die." He laughed. "You're wrong anyways. For I know of one spot in this mansion that is out of the boundaries of a Brawl." Suddenly, Dark Link vanished, teleporting in an instant behind Zelda on the second floor. She shrieked.

"Zelda!" cried Ike.

Dark Link quickly grabbed Zelda around the waist and forced her into a kiss. She struggled at first, but soon fell limp in his arms after a few seconds.

"Ike…" she muttered before falling into a deep sleep.

Dark Link slung the princess over his shoulder like a rag doll and laughed triumphantly.

"It's been fun, Ikey-boy, but now I simply must be going!" he said. "I got a hot date tonight with a beautiful princess!"

Ike hastily ran up the stairs in an attempt to stop the maniac, but by the time he got to the top, Dark Link had already teleported again, a trail of his laughs fading into the air. Ike sheathed his sword angrily as he looked about the room, hoping that he would spot his enemy as he escaped. The resulting announcement only caused his heart to sink even more.

"PLAYER 2, DEFEATED."


	11. The Lower Basement

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 11: The Lower Basement

* * *

The blue-haired mercenary collapsed to the floor as the wounds from the fight started overtaking him. He was bleeding profusely in his left arm and chest. He honestly hasn't anticipated Dark Link being so skillful with a sword since he had only seen him resort to knives and trickery earlier in the evening. He flinched every so often as he endured the stinging pain, which felt as though someone had taken one hundred needles and stuck them into his chest in a straight line. He started crying again as he thought about Zelda.

"I failed…" he said, hunching over into a ball. "It's over." He paused a bit before the tears started flooding to the floor. "I'm no hero."

He sat there and sulked, thinking about Zelda and how he may as well consider her dead. It wasn't so much the fact that he lost the Brawl with Dark Link, but the thought that he was the princess' only hope out of this nightmare. And now, she's been taken away somewhere. The mercenary cringed at the thought of what that monster was going to do to her.

"It's my fault…" he said. "It's my fault she's gone."

The swordsman soon felt a gloved hand lightly grab him on the shoulder, causing him to jump in surprised. He looked back quickly to see the person who had touched was none other than Meta Knight, who appeared to be as fine as he looked when he last saw him.

"Do not blame yourself," said the Star Warrior. "You did what you could."

Ike stared at the other Smasher silently before the tears in his eyes began to disappear. All of a sudden, Ike's heart became filled with rage, and the swordsman quickly stood up, towering above the shorter warrior.

"Where have you been all this time!?" he said angrily, his eyes beating red with frustration. "I nearly died trying to stop Dark Link and now Zelda has been kidnapped!"

The Star Warrior was not at all fazed by the taller swordsman's attitude and replied calmly.

"I have been searching for Link this entire time," said Meta Knight. "I assumed that you, being the hero that you are, could have at least kept the princess out of harm's way while I attempted to solve the mystery plaguing this mansion. I am insulted that you would think of me in such a way, Ike."

Ike could feel his muscles relaxing as he regained control of his temper, but soon felt them tense up again as the pain from the fight returned.

"Here," said the Star Warrior, producing a large Heart Container from seemingly out of nowhere. He pushed the relic into Ike's clothes, allowing to be absorbed through his skin and into his body. Ike's wounds soon dissolved into the air, as well as any other bruises he had gained throughout the night. As a bonus, his clothes were also mended back to their original state. He now looked as presentable as he did this morning when he arm-wrestled Donkey Kong.

Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, Ike smiled.

"Thank you, Meta Knight," he said. "I'm sorry I lashed out at you. There's just been so much going through my head today that I can barely deal with it."

"Think nothing of it," replied the Star Warrior, waving his hand slightly. "Now, on a more serious note, I have discovered the whereabouts of our Link." Ike's eyes widened slightly at the mention of his friends name. "He is being held captive in the lower basement of the mansion."

Ike pondered for a moment.

"Lower basement?" he asked. "I had no idea the mansion even had a lower basement."

"No one does," replied Meta Knight. "Not even I did until I scouted out through the entire building. There is a secret switch on the upper basement that unlocks a passage to the lower basement. There isn't much down there except for some storage facilities and the boiler room. But if Dark Link has run off with Zelda like you said, chances are that is the most likely place they would be. It is impossible to have a scheduled Brawl in the lower basement since no one is allowed to go down there under normal circumstances."

That's when it clicked for Ike.

"She's there," he said quickly, before dashing off down the stairs again. Meta Knight soon caught up to him, gliding down elegantly by his side.

"Follow me," said the Star Warrior, turning towards a door under the staircase that led downstairs. The two Smashers descended the next flight of stairs and through a maze of several halls. They passed by several rooms that they were both familiar with, including an arcade room, lounge, kitchen, and exercise room. Eventually they came across a bookshelf at the end of the hall that contained a library of colorful books and binders. The two friends stared up at the tall shelf before the sound of a muffled voice could be heard coming from behind it.

"You hear that?" asked Ike, putting an ear up against the shelf. He couldn't quite identify the owner of the voice, but he could definitely tell that it was male. "This has to be the place."

"It is," replied Meta Knight calmly. "Now, watch."

The Star Warrior flew up into the air and pulled a red-covered book from the shelf. A few seconds passed by before the shelf itself began sinking into the floor, revealing a secret passage down another flight of stairs. The sound of the voice was more audible now, and it most certainly was Dark Link who had been talking this whole time. Meta Knight landed softly and dropped the book.

Ike put a finger to his lips, signifying that they should sneak in quietly as opposed to running in guns blazing (or, swords blazing in this case). The Star Warrior nodded, and the two friends crept stealthily down the stairs, staying low to blend in with the shadows, which were quite abundant in the hall since there were only a few torches lining the cobblestone walls. It was hard to see where they were going, or how many more steps there were to trail, so they moved slowly and silently in the darkness. With each step they took, the sound of the talking voice became louder and louder, and was soon joined by the sound of another voice, this one belonging to a female.

"You'll never get away with this!" said the female voice near the bottom of the stairs. "Ike will stop you!"

An evil laugh soon followed that last sentence.

"Ike doesn't even know where we ARE!" replied Dark Link. "I've brought you both down here for that reason alone!"

Wait a second…did he just say "both?" Could it be possible that he was referring to another individual in the room?

Ike and Meta Knight soon found their way to the bottom of the stairs, continually creeping through the dank hall. A lighted room with no door could be seen at the end, which appeared to be the source of the sounds they had been hearing this entire time. The two Smashers poked their heads into the room to witness a setting that was hard to believe existed on the mansion grounds.

The room was somewhat large, with a ceiling almost as high as the mansion foyer. The walls were lined with brown stone, but appeared to be orange due to the amount of torches in the room. In one of the corners of the room stood a furnace with a blazing fire, with a chimney that rose up into the ceiling. Next to the furnace stood Link's Master Sword and Hylian shield, leaning against the wall as if someone had laid them there carefully. Beside that stood a pair of what appeared to be prison cells, the bars of the cells rusted beyond belief, giving off a dark and abandoned feeling. What seemed to grab Ike's attention first was the fact that there was someone in the cell on the left. He had to squint to get a better view of who it was, but after doing a double-take, the prisoner in the cell was none other than the real Link, who at this time, was holding the bars with his gloved hands, and appeared to be in rough shape. His clothes were all tattered and dirty, while his hair resembled nothing more than a moppy mess. Zelda was lying on a concrete table in the centre of the room, her hands and legs tied down to the corners by thick rope. Finally, the evil mastermind behind all this, paced back and forth between the table and the cell, the Kokiri knife strapped to his side.

Ike looked down at his belt to see that the knife was no longer there. It seemed that Dark Link had taken it from him during their last encounter. Regardless of the fact that Ike did strike Dark Link from the fight before, the creature appeared to be fine physically. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be quite enjoying himself, being the only person in the room with freedom to move.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," said Link as he gritted his teeth behind the bars of his cell.

Dark Link laughed again.

"Oh Link," he began, "you are just too soft." He walked up to the Hylian and leaned down towards him. "It's true; you could have killed me in that Water Temple all those years ago. But the fact that you didn't just goes to prove how weak you really are. But let's face facts here. You didn't want to get rid of me. You were too afraid. Too scared that you would be destroying a part of you that you did not want to let go of yet. And you know why?" He walked back over the table Zelda was on. "Because you loved her at the time. Isn't that right, Link?"

Link didn't say anything, choosing to look down at the ground instead.

"And you, Zelda," continued Dark Link as he turned to the princess. "You rejected the poor boy as if he were a child. That's the thanks he gets for saving not only your life, but the kingdom of Hyrule entirely? I never knew you to be such a stuck-up bitch."

He smirked over the princess, but she quickly retaliated by spitting in his face.

"I was only doing what I thought was right at the time!" she said. "What else am I supposed to do when a man I don't truly love wants to marry me?"

"Those words still hurt, princess," replied Dark Link, grabbing his heart. "But it doesn't matter now, anyway. I now have you under my grasp. I can do anything I want to you and nothing can stop me." He paused for a moment. "I'm not sure if it's better that my urge to kill you exceeds my lust." He glanced at Link. "I feel kind of lucky actually. For I get to do all the things that Link wished he could have back in those days. Like this!" He reached out and grabbed Zelda's breasts aggressively with both hands, rubbing forcefully in every direction possible, causing Zelda to scream in pain. "Or this!" He leaned over and began kissing Zelda on the lips forcefully, silencing her momentarily as she cried. Link looked away in horror and disgust.

Ike felt his temper rising as he stood up to unsheathe his sword, but was stopped when Meta Knight put a hand on his shoulder.

After several seconds of touching and making out, Dark Link finally broke free and Zelda was left there lying with saliva all over her face. Dark Link wiped his mouth satisfied and laughed again.

"Oh man, it feels SOOOOO GOOD!" he shouted at the ceiling.

"MONSTER!" shouted Link as he tried to pull the bars of cell apart with his hands.

"Monster?" replied Dark Link, pretending to be surprised. "I'm not a monster. I'm you! Well, unless you are referring to yourself as a monster, in which case, I am then."

"You are not me," said Link angrily. "You are nothing like me. You are just a creature that spawned from my hatred. I'm not even proud enough to call you my shadow. Because at least a shadow will obey its master."

"Talk all you want, fairy-boy," responded the maniac. "I'm still running the show. And I plan to end with a bang."

He stood beside Zelda's table and produced the Kokiri knife, tilting the weapon in the light given by the surrounding torches. He glanced down into Zelda's eyes to see the look of horror in her face as she stared at the cold blade.

"This is it, Zelda," said Dark Link seriously. "This is for all the pain and trouble you have caused me. Once the deed is done, my purpose will be fulfilled, and I can finally rest in peace."

Tears soon started forming in the princess' eyes.

"Please…don't…" she muttered, sniffling hard as she silently prayed to her goddesses that someone was on their way to save her.

"This is only going to hurt for a few seconds; I'll try to make it quick."

He lifted the blade up high above her throat, her eyes closing shut as she awaited impending doom. Link cried and pleaded for him to stop, but it was no use. Zelda was going to die.

Suddenly a tall and burly figured rushed to the scene and slammed Dark Link in the side with his shoulder, causing the creature to fall across the room and drop the knife in the process. Zelda opened her eyes to see Ike Greil standing heroically above her, a look of determination in his eyes. He glanced down at the princess who was now full out crying at this point. She did her best to smile at him, causing the mercenary to smirk back in response.

"Let's finish this."


	12. Missing Link

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 12: Missing Link

* * *

Ike swiftly cut one of the ropes that bounded Zelda's hand to the table. He then quickly turned to face Dark Link who slowly brought himself to his feet, wiping some blood from his lips.

"Huh," he said. "I thought you were too dense to even think about coming down here."

"He had some help," replied Meta Knight as he walked up to his fellow swordsman, wielding Galaxia. Ike pointed his own sword at Dark Link.

"I've had enough of this," he said bluntly. "If you don't want us interfering with your plans anymore, fight us now or I will strike you down where you stand."

Dark Link just stared at the mercenary dumbly before laughing.

"Haha! Well aren't we confident in ourselves!" he chimed. "Very well, Ike, we'll do it your way." He unsheathed his sword and shield yet again. "This hardly seems fair however, seeing as there are now two of you and only one of me."

"Deal with it."

The two swordsman charged at the dark warrior, who reacted by jumping up high and planting his feet on the wall, sitting there like a hawk eying its next victim.

"You think that just because you outnumber me, you have a chance at killing me?" he asked seriously. "Maybe you're not that bright after all."

Meta Knight flew up at the dark swordsman, but the creature leaped from his spot again and landed on the other side of the room, his shield and sword now a black bow which he armed with a dozen arrows. He fired a volley of arrows at the Smashers, forcing them to narrowly dodge while charging at him yet again. Dark Link's bow quickly returned to its shield and sword form and the three warriors got back into the fight.

Meanwhile, Zelda was busy trying to untie herself with her free hand that Ike granted her. It took her a while to get her other hand free with only one available hand, but once she did, untying her feet was a relatively easier task.

She looked at the other Smashers just in time to see Meta Knight dive-bomb Dark Link, which he deflected, sending the poor Star Warrior on a flight path into the wall. He then turned his attention towards Ike, advancing on him with a forward slash, but missing thanks to the mercenary's quick feet. Seeing as how Zelda was practically useless in this type of situation, she decided to run over to Link's cell and attempt to get him free.

"Zelda!" said Link above the sound of swords clashing. "Thank the goddesses you are all right!"

"I know," she replied, glancing at Ike. "It seems as though I have a guardian angel watching over me." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, do you know where the key is for this cell?"

Link shook his head.

"I have no idea," he replied. "But I can bet that my other self would be holding onto it, if anything." Now it was his turn to pause. "Zelda…I…I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was just…stupid. None of this would have happened if I had just taken care of this problem all those years ago."

She comforted her friend by placing a warming hand on his cheek.

"Don't feel bad," she said. "You couldn't help yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, Link."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," responded Link. "But that's not what I'm getting at here. The only one who can destroy Dark Link is the person that brought him into this world. And that person is me."

The two Hylians stared into each other's eyes momentarily before the princess nodded.

"Right," she said. "I understand now."

She got up and ran over to the furnace, retrieving Link's Master Sword and handing it to him through the bars. The weapon was heavy, but she managed to get it to the Hero of Time by carrying it with two hands. Link glanced at the shining edge of the blade before turning his attention back towards the fight.

"Get Dark Link over here and I'll take care of the rest," he said.

"Aether!" shouted Ike as he chucked his sword at the dark warrior. Dark Link dodged it easily and retaliated with a kick to the groin, followed by a blunt hit to the head with the hilt of his sword. Ike rolled away to recover, allowing Meta Knight to swoop in and swiftly strike with a series of sword slashes. The strikes were fast, but relatively minor. Dark Link was able to endure the attack and fight back with a strike of his own, knocking the Star Warrior out of the sky and crashing down on the other Smasher. Meta Knight and Ike both rose to their feet, Dark Link laughing maniacally at them yet again.

"It appears that numbers do not determine the outcome of a sword battle!" he exclaimed. "Thankfully, you two haven't bored me to death quite just yet!"

He began laughing again as the two other swordsman just watched in silence. It appeared as though Dark Link was so caught up in the fight, that he didn't notice that Zelda was no longer strapped down and was instead, standing quietly next to Link's cell. In the midst of Dark Link's laughter, Meta Knight glanced past him to see Zelda pointing at Link, who was now in possession of his Master Sword. The Star Warrior nodded in response, tapping Ike on the leg and gesturing towards the two Hylians. Ike gave a small smirk before turning back towards the dark creature.

"You have taken blow after blow from our attacks, Dark Link," said Ike. "Yet you seem to be standing as tall as ever regardless."

"Yes indeed, Sir Ike," replied Dark Link. "I have endured many blows to my body from Galaxia and Ragnell, however, your weapons are merely made of common steel. If you haven't realized it yet, mortal weapons cannot harm me!"

"Obviously…" muttered Meta Knight.

"Does that truly make us the pathetic ones then?" asked Ike, putting a hand to his chin.

"…What do you mean?" replied Dark Link.

"Well," continued Ike, "if you really are immune to our weapons, then why haven't you gone and killed us already? The fact that you're barely putting up a fight against us only goes to show that you are the only weak one here."

Dark Link pondered this thought for a moment.

"I suppose that's true in a way…" he replied. "Huh. Oh well. I guess I have no choice but to go all-out on you poor souls."

Dark Link charged towards Ike at lightning speed, preparing to strike the swordsman through the chest. Fortunately, Meta Knight was quick to react and immediately jumped in front of the mercenary, anticipating the blow. Dark Link instead slashed at the Star Warrior, knocking him to the side, before following through by dropping his sword down on Ike's body. Ike reacted just in time, blocking the attack with his sword, but the force of the blow caused him to fall to the ground, Dark Link's blade still pressing down on Ike's Ragnell. The evil being tossed his shield to the side and grasped his sword with two hands, attempting to push the blade down towards Ike's face. The mercenary pushed back with all his might until both swordsmen ended up locking each other in place, neither one willing to give back to the other.

At this point, all that needed to happen was for one of them to slip up in order to break the lock. Almost as if on cue, a familiar female voice broke both warriors' concentration.

"Dark Link!"

Dark Link glanced at Zelda upon hearing the sound of his name, which gave Ike just enough time to push back for the kill. The mercenary kicked up at the other swordsman, knocking Dark Link off of him and off balance on his feet.

"Now, Meta Knight!" cried Ike, as he jumped to his feet and took a hold of Dark Link's right arm.

Meta Knight quickly swooped in and grabbed Dark Link's other arm in mid-flight, causing the dark creature to drop his sword in the process.

"Whoa!" cried Dark Link as he felt his feet lift off the ground.

The mercenary started running as fast as he could while the Star Warrior flew, carrying the evil creature by both arms and driving him towards the cell on the other side of the room. Dark Link was too confused by the immediate turn of events to realize what was going on.

"Let go of me!" he shouted.

The two Smashers ignored his cries and proceeded to throw him at Link's cell. Dark Link's back collided with the bars, and a white and shining blade burst from his chest upon impact. He wailed in pain.

"Ahhhh! What is this!?" he cried. He turned his head to the side to see his former counterpart's face from the corner of his eye. Link had stuck the blade of his Master Sword through the bars of the cell, stabbing the unaware Dark Link through the chest. Ike and Meta Knight son stood before the Hylian, Dark Link's body propped up against the metal.

"It is not the weapon that determines the strength of the warrior," said Meta Knight calmly, "but the warrior who determines the strength of the weapon."

Dark Link's breaths soon became fast and loud, as if this was the first time he had ever felt pain in his life.

"No…I can't go…like this," he hissed in agony. "I'm not done with you yet."

He glanced at Zelda who was standing next to him. She glared at him darkly, satisfied with the painful look on his face.

"It's over, Dark Link," she said. "You've lost."

Dark Link cried out in pain as his body began to glow as white as the blade that pierced him. He started to break apart, dissolving into ashes and floating down to the ground. The four Smashers there couldn't help but feel a little bad for him as he had to go through all this pain, but considering what he had tried to do to Zelda, he deserved it.

"I hereby banish you to the afterlife, Dark Link!" announced the Hero of Time. "As long as I live, you will never return to this world!"

The cries of the evil entity soon died down, as his entire body had melted into ash, the only thing left remaining being a silver key, which lay still in the pile of blackness. Link drew back his sword and sighed with relief, while Zelda cried with joy, giving both Ike and Meta Knight the biggest hugs she has ever given anyone.

The cold and dark presence that had once befallen the mansion had disappeared as quickly as it came. The nightmare was finally over.


	13. A Part No More

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 13: A Part No More

* * *

Having been struck down by the legendary Master Sword, the spirit formally known as Dark Link was defeated, cast off into another world where other spirits meet their final resting place. Since his departure had left behind a key, getting Link out of his cell was a simple task. Ike had made sure to retrieve the Kokiri knife; he planned on keeping it somewhere where no one could find it. With the four friends united, the Smashers made their way out of the underground tunnels and back to the main floor of the mansion foyer. The walls of the mansion had become brighter, every hall extending to every part of the building now illuminated with lights and candles. It was still night time however, and the heroes could feel the weight of the day's events weighing down on their shoulders, but they remained strong.

"It's good to have you back, Link," said Ike as he shook hands with the Hylian boy. They stood in the middle of the foyer beneath the chandelier.

"It's good to be back," replied Link with a smile. "I can't believe we actually made it out of there alive."

"All in a day's work."

Zelda soon embraced her fellow Hylian in a hug, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh Link!" she cried. "I'm so glad you're okay. I thought…I thought Dark Link had done away with you for good."

Link shrugged his shoulders as she let go of him.

"Nah, he couldn't do that to me," he said. "At least, he couldn't until he fulfilled his purpose." Link's face turned red. "Which, by the way, I'm terribly sorry for." His head hung low. "I'm embarrassed that he would go to such limits to do such a thing…You weren't…hurt I hope?"

Zelda hesitated a bit before replying.

"I'll…talk to you about it later," she said.

"I should have known that Link was the only one who could kill Dark Link," said Ike, changing the subject. "It makes perfect sense now."

"Heh. Yeah," replied Link. "I only wish I could have left you guys some sort of sign to prepare you for this. If you and Meta Knight hadn't escaped his trap, we probably wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Yeah, heh heh."

An awkward silence befell the group before Ike spoke up again.

"We can finish discussing this in the morning. Right now, the only thing I want to do is check on Master Hand. That is…unless you need anything, Zelda?"

He glanced at the princess, raising his eyebrows slightly. Zelda quickly responded by waving her hands in front of herself.

"Oh, no I'm fine, Ike," she replied. "Thanks for asking anyway."

The mercenary nodded, and then he headed up the stairs towards Master Hand's office. Meta Knight soon followed behind him and the two Smashers disappeared around the corner. The Hylians were left alone yet again.

"Look, Zelda," started Link as he grabbed her hand to get her attention. "I know what Dark Link did to you while I was gone." He looked down at the ground. "I just…I hope it doesn't ruin the relationship that we already have, I-"

She started crying again.

"I thought you were dead," she sniffled. "Link…where did you go?"

Link let go of her hand and took a few steps around the room, pondering how to reply to her. After a few seconds, he faced her again, a serious expression on his face.

"It happened during the battle in subspace," he said. "I got lost in the Great Maze, separated from you and the others. That's when I met him there. He approached me, telling me that everything he's ever lived for was ruined because of me. He couldn't have any more of it. We clashed, but in the end, he got the best of me and sealed me into a trophy. From there, he began posing as me, mimicking everything that you've ever known me for." He paused for a moment. "It hurts knowing that not even you could see through his lie after all this time…my best friend."

Link's eyes started to water, but he quickly regained control of himself, stepping closer to the Hylian princess.

"You and the others banded together with Dark Link and defeated Tabuu, sealing the gates to Subspace forever. Dark Link couldn't survive without me though, so he was forced to bring me back to this world, releasing me from the trophy prison. He didn't stop there, however. He knew that deep below these mansions grounds was an abandoned series of catacombs and ancient tunnels. So he kept me there, keeping me alive, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He needed to establish that relationship with the others. Learning my every move. Thinking how I think. Becoming the Hero of Time. And…all this time, there was nothing I could do. I was completely helpless." His head dropped. "Some hero I turned out to be…"

Although she was upset from all the pain Dark Link caused her, Zelda was still sympathetic towards Link. She understood that he couldn't have done anything to stop him. She might have believed that Ike and Meta Knight saving her life was just a fluke in itself. But the fact that Link was sincerely sorry for everything proved that he did care about her. And she couldn't ask for a better friend.

If she had any tentative feelings for the Hylian boy, they would have been long gone by now. Her heart was a bit more focused on a certain blue-haired swordsman…

"You don't have to apologize, Link," she said comfortingly. "But there is one thing that you should be aware of though."

Link looked up at her, a surprised look on his face.

"The next time a girl rejects you," she continued, "don't send your evil clone after her."

The Hylian appreciated the joke, but he did not laugh. Instead he just gave a little smile.

"I want to make it up to you, Zelda," he said. "Something, anything at all. You name it and it's there. It's the least I could do after all the trouble I've caused you."

Zelda closed her eyes and shook her head.

"All I want right now is to sleep," she replied. "The other Smashers will probably stay asleep until morning. I'll let Ike decide whether or not he wants to tell them about all this." She made her way up the stairs slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Link."

Link hesitated before making any kind of reply.

"Night," he said finally, watching her disappear at the top of the stairs. The Hylian found himself standing there for the next few minutes, reflecting on everything that had happened since that depressing conversation with Zelda ten years ago.

* * *

Ike and Meta Knight ran into the office, immediately noticing that Master Hand was in the same unconscious state as he was before. He was still breathing, however, coughing a bit as he saw the two swordsmen approach him.

"You did it," he said gratefully after coughing some more. "I don't know how in the world you did, but you did it. Great job, you two."

"It was no easy feat," replied Ike as he knelt down beside the large hand. "Thankfully, Meta Knight was here to back me up." He glanced at the Star Warrior with a smile, but Meta Knight gave no outward response in return.

"Yes," said Master Hand. "I can feel the darkness dissipating." He pulled himself up, Ike helping him into the air. He was shaky at first, but the hand soon caught the hang of it, trying his best to ignore the stinging pain of the scars on his body. "I think this calls for a celebration."

"Don't thank us yet," responded Meta Knight calmly. "You're still in bad condition. And hopefully there were no side effects to the drugs that were injected into everyone else's food."

Master Hand levitated over behind his desk and took a seat.

"I'll be fine," replied the hand. "Believe me; I've suffered much worse than this. I think defeating Dark Link has somehow made me feel a little bit better. It could be possible that he had put a temporary curse on me to make me weak. Your fellow Smashers should be perfectly fine come the morning."

Ike nodded in agreement.

"Dark Link had no intention of harming any of us," he said. "Well, unless he caught us trying to ruin his plans to kill Zelda."

"As expected," said the hand. "Ultimately, I'm glad to hear that you both made it out okay. So I can assume that Zelda…"

"…Is perfectly fine," replied Ike. "She'll probably sleep in tomorrow from all the excitement today. We also managed to save Link so…yeah, you may want to go talk to him."

"I plan on having a little chat tomorrow with you, Zelda, and Link. Also, Meta Knight, if you could do me a favor and seal the entrance to the lower basement, that would be just great. I don't want any of the children to end up falling down there."

"Right away," said the Star Warrior with a bow before exiting the room.

"You may be excused as well, Ike. Unless you have anything else important to say, it can wait till tomorrow. Right now, I feel like I could pass out any second."

Ike gave a small smile.

"Sure thing, sir. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Ike left the room, leaving Master Hand to float all by his lonesome self. Through the tall window behind him, he could see half of the shining moon. The moon had been large and full earlier that night, but it appeared as though a small group of clouds had drifted in front of it. It was almost as if piece of it had gone missing.


	14. Link and Zelda

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 14: Link and Zelda

* * *

The morning sun rose slowly over the hills that loomed over the great forest surrounding Smash Mansion, painting the vast landscape a warm shade of orange. By noon, all of the Smashers had woken up, confused and somewhat flabbergasted that all except a select few had slept through the night in the grand ballroom. Naturally, no one could recall anything after Master Hand's speech. As a matter of fact, most had just assumed that his speech was so boring that it put them to sleep.

They spent most of the day cleaning up the leftovers in the ballroom. King Dedede had called his Waddledees to work overtime, and they were able to return the dining room back to its original, pre-charred state. Seeing as how clumsy Waddledees were, it came as a surprise that they were able to get the job done so quickly without making any mistakes. With everything back to normal, the blankets that hung in the ballroom were taken down, and there was now a clear path to the balcony outside.

The afternoon wore on with the daily brawls and training and in the exercise room. By this time, nearly all of the Smashers had forgotten about the bizarre event from the previous night. Master Hand had decided that keeping the Dark Link incident a secret from any person who was not involved would be the best course of action so as not to bring panic into a roster of about 35 people. This would also save him the trouble of having to explain how anything could get past the advanced security system he had wired throughout the mansion. He made a mental note, however, to get that system upgraded as soon as possible.

While all the Smashers were busy with the daily routines, Master Hand summoned Link, Ike, and Zelda to his office in secret. He did not plan on having any future discussions with them like this in the near future.

The large gloved hand floated in his seat, his entire body wrapped in a white bandage. He was doing a lot better than he was the previous night, and his appearance looked almost comical, as if he were some sort of floating mummified hand. Once the three Smashers had entered the room, he closed the door with a wave and stared down at his guests.

"Good afternoon, you three," he began. "How is everybody doing?"

"Alright," replied Ike.

"Fine," said Zelda.

"Good," muttered Link.

The princess had assumed her position between her two friends just as she had done the previous day. The only difference here was that Ike and Link were no longer trying to get at each other's throats. Although the tension was not as high as it had been before, the setting was still a little bit awkward, especially since they didn't talk to each other at all about Dark Link or anything that happened the other night earlier in the day. Needless to say, Master Hand noticed a feeling of deja-vu as he sat before his three Smashers.

"I know this has been on your minds all day, so I'm going to get straight to the point," said the hand. "I have decided that no one else, except you three and Meta Knight, are to know about what we went through last night. I'm sure you will understand where I'm coming from."

Ike nodded.

"You don't want to panic anyone," said Ike. "That's perfectly fine."

Zelda, though she felt a little hurt that she would not be able to talk to anyone else about her struggle, gave a nod as well.

"I understand," she said, as she turned to Link who also nodded in response.

"No need to get everyone excited," he chimed. "Besides, it's all in the past now."

Zelda was surprised at the Hylian's choice of words. Surely everything was in the past, but it was from that same past that Dark Link was able to return in the first place.

"Huh," replied Master Hand bluntly. "Well, that was easier than I expected, heh heh."

"It should come as no surprise, sir," said Ike. "As members of the Smash Bros. our friends feel obligated to a life of safety and happiness here in the mansion. There's no need to inform them on that which does not involve them."

"Well, technically they are involved," said Link, "in an indirect sort of way. I mean, they were drugged after all."

"But they don't remember anything from last night at all. It's probably best to keep it that way."

"Yes, that was my reasoning too, Ike," replied Master Hand. "None of them feel any different coming into the next day, which I'm sure is not the same case for you three."

Zelda felt her stomach churn with discomfort as she recalled the cold blade of the Kokiri knife up against her throat.

"And that ultimately concludes and determines my decision on the unfortunate event. Now, moving on…" The hand looked down at Zelda. "I'm sure an apology is in order here."

Ike and Link both glanced at Zelda who looked up at the hand a bit confused.

"Me?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes, Princess Zelda," sighed the hand. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I…want to apologize for what I did to you. I never should have punished you so harshly for what you did to my dining room."

"Oh…"

"It was an accident. And Dedede's minions were able to fix the mess free of charge. So, again, please accept my humble apologies. If…if I hadn't taken away your powers, you may have been able to stand a fighting chance against-"

"I understand," interrupted the princess quickly, her eyes closed shut.

"Very well then," said the hand. "I will return to you your powers now."

He snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, the blue, red, and green auras that had been lifted from Zelda's body returned. All of a sudden she felt warm again with the colors glowing in her eyes. She couldn't help but give a small smile.

"Thank you," she said, tearing up slightly.

"I don't want you to think that I can just take powers away from anyone whenever I feel like it," said Master Hand. "That sort of magic takes a lot of energy. And since I was kind of in a bad mood from the fire in the dining room, I guess I merely acted on impulse and gave you the harshest punishment I could think of. I hope this puts us back on the same level as before."

"Yes it does," she said, wiping away her tears. "It feels good to be myself again."

"You can say that again," said Link jokingly.

"Alright, now was there anything else I wanted to say…" pondered Master Hand out loud. "I don't think so. I just want to make sure that I can trust you three not to tell anyone about what you had to go through."

"It's going to be weird pretending that nothing happened," said Ike as he looked up at the hand.

"I'd prefer it if you'd keep it amongst yourselves."

After confirming that nothing more needed to be discussed, the Smashers were dismissed and they exited the office. In all honesty, not one of them wanted to talk to Master Hand about anything related to Dark Link. For Ike, it was best for him to just forget it and move on. He played the hero and saved the princess, which is all in a day's work for him. Zelda, on the other hand, didn't feel comfortable at all talking to Master Hand. He couldn't possibly understand how it felt to be her: meek, afraid, and assaulted. No, touchy subjects like this were best discussed with someone closer…

* * *

The two Hylians sat together on the side of Zelda's bed. The princess had asked the Hero of Time to sit with her so she could talk to him about her feelings. Link had some feelings he wanted to get out as well, but for the first few minutes, the two just sat in awkward silence.

She felt a lot better than before now that her powers were back. Zelda could feel the auras flowing through her mind and body, the goddesses doing their best to calm her down and reassure her that the nightmare was over and done with. And Link, though he was glad to be with the princess, still felt guilty for what she had to go through.

"So…" began Link quietly. "How are you doing?"

Neither of the Hylians made eye contact with each other and instead, continued to stare at the carpeted floor.

"I'm alright," she replied. "Still hurt though…"

Link cursed to himself in his mind, knowing perfectly well what she meant.

"I'm such an idiot," he said.

"What?" she asked, looked at him.

"This never should have happened," he replied, looking back into her eyes. "This whole thing should have been my problem, not yours. You just got dragged into it because I was too helpless to do anything."

"Link, it's not-"

"Yes, it is my fault, and you know it is. I created this monster because I couldn't control my feelings. And this should have been dealt with a long time ago, but I kept putting it off, thinking that it was going away." He turned away. "I didn't want to believe that I loved you."

Zelda turned away as well.

"But I did," said Link. "Farore knows I did. But I knew that deep down inside, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many monsters I cut down, no matter how many dungeons I faced, your answer would still be the same. Yet I kept on fighting it."

"Dark Link…" muttered Zelda all of a sudden. "Dark Link wasn't only obsessed with killing me. He was in love with me."

"That's not what love is!" said Link, staring into her eyes again. "That was anger, hatred and denial. When you mix love with such emotions, the ending result will always be…a monster." Tears started to form in his eyes, yet he grinned ever so slightly. "And you know what the sad part is?"

The princess shook her head, her eyes beginning to water as well.

"Now that Dark Link is gone, all of those feelings I've ever had for you have disappeared." He continued to grin even though his tears streamed down his cheeks. "I no longer dislike you for what you said to me all those years ago. And now…I will never be able to love you again."

She immediately pulled him into a tight hug, causing him to weep. His tears only brought upon her own, and the two Hylians cried in each other's arms together. After a few minutes, Zelda was the first one to regain control of herself, breaking free from the Hero of Time's grasp.

"Link," she began, wiping her face with a handkerchief. "I don't want you to feel bad for yourself. I don't want you to feel bad for me either." Link wiped his face and took a deep breath. "There are times in life when things happened that they can't be explained. The only thing we can do is work together and find a way to solve our problems." She grasped his hand lightly, staring deeply into his eyes. "That's why you're my best friend, Link," she said. "You've always been there for me since the very beginning. And when the coin gets flipped, and you become the damsel in distress, then that problem affects me too. I don't want to lose you, Link."

Link stared back at her, almost in disbelief. To him, it was as if the woman he had pursued and fought for his whole life was finally opening the door, instead of slamming it on his face like she had done numerous times in the past.

"Sure, I nearly had to face Dark Link by myself," she said. "And sure, I was hurt by it, and I'll probably never be the same person again because of it. But, knowing that I have you—the REAL you—is all the love that I need."

The two fell into each other's arms again, the crying resuming where they had left off. Only this time, the tears were not so much sad, but happy, as if the goddesses had come down from the heavens and blown the rainclouds away.

"Thank you."

"If there is anything that I learned from all this," said Zelda, "it's that I don't want to be the helpless princess from those fairy tales. That's why I'm here. I want to be able to fight and stand up for myself. To be able to protect my friends in times of darkness. I don't want it to happen to me again…"

"But you can protect yourself, Zelda. Everyone knows you can. You just didn't have your powers at the time."

"What good is magic if it's all I can depend on?" she asked seriously. "You saw Ike and Meta Knight last night. Even in the face of danger, no matter how strong or intimidating their enemies may seem, they give it everything they've got and fight to the end. And they do it all without magic." She looked down at her open hands and curled them into fists. "Nothing but brute strength and dexterity."

"That has nothing to do with it," said Link bluntly.

"What?"

"Think about our friends, Zelda. What makes them special for who they are?" He paused for a moment to see if she would say anything, but the princess remained silent. "If you take away Ike's strength or Meta Knight's wings, who are they really in the end? Nothing but helpless warriors, who have been disarmed, reduced to nothing but regular people."

She nodded her head slowly, understanding where the Hylian was coming from.

"The point is," continued Link, "you don't need a knight in shining armor to sweep you off your feet every day. You are the person you want to be: A powerful sorceress who rules over the kingdom of Hyrule. And when the time comes where you find yourself to be useless and alone, just remember that you have your friends to back you up." He smiled. "And you'll always have me."

The princess smiled back.

"Hm," she replied. "I hate to say this, but I think you might be right."

"It's like you said," he continued. "You want to be able to stand up for yourself and keep your friends out of harm's way. Well, whether you like it or not, all of your friends have the exact same ideas about themselves. As long as you live in this mansion, you will never be truly alone."

It was at that moment that Zelda realized she didn't have to feel so afraid anymore. All she had to do was believe in her fellow Smashers and in herself as well.

The princess gave the Hero of Time the biggest hug she could muster and the two sat like that comfortably for what seemed like hours. With both of their bottled feelings finally out in the open, things started to become less awkward and back to the way they used to be. Since this was really the first time Zelda was able to talk to Link in a long time, she decided to catch up with him on all the crazy things that have been going on in her life, including what it has been like living under a roof with thirty-five other people. They talked about their friends, the latest gossip, any minor exciting adventures, just about everything excluding the event that happened last night.

And to think that all this excitement started with a knock at the door and a simple love letter…


	15. One Last Letter

Obsessed

* * *

Chapter 15: One Last Letter

* * *

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Princess Zelda nearly jumped at the blunt sound of knuckles rapping against her bedroom door. She had been standing alone at her window and staring into the night sky contemplating prior to the interruption. Footsteps could be heard bounding away from the door and down the hall on the other side as she approached, partly surprised and partly curious as to who would do such a thing.

"_This seems all too familiar_," she thought to herself as she opened the door.

As expected, there was not a single person in the hall there to greet her. The princess turned her head both ways, verifying that whoever left this letter lying in front of the door did not want to be found out by anyone. Zelda knelt down and slowly picked up the white envelope, inspecting every inch of it. It appeared to be an exact replica of the last envelope she had held in her hands.

"_Could it be?..._"

She stood there hesitating for a few minutes, wondering whether or not she should tell Master Hand about it. He probably wouldn't respond very well to it, especially if this letter was some kind of prank. Ultimately, she figured no real harm could come from simply opening the letter, so she tore it open and began reading through the black ink:

_Princess Zelda,_

_Meet me at the mansion balcony as soon as possible. And yes, it's really me this time._

_-Ike_

Zelda stared at the paper in her hands nearly dumbstruck. She had last spoken to Ike earlier in the afternoon; there was no reason for him to send her a letter of any kind as a form of communication. What was he getting at here? The princess was not easily swayed as she recalled the last letter she had opened and how the sender had not been the person whose name was signed at the bottom. However, the manner in which this new letter was written gave off a sincere feeling, as if she could hear the mercenary's voice reading it with her as she skimmed through the words again.

In any case, there was only one way to find out if Ike really wrote the letter.

* * *

"You got the letter, I see."

Ike smirked in her direction as he leaned on the balcony rail under the night sky. Apparently, he had been standing out here since he delivered the letter, almost as if he knew the princess wouldn't hesitate to meet him at the specified location. Zelda approached him from the ballroom and stood by his side, looking over the vast forest that stretched on for miles.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said the mercenary as he turned his attention back towards the scenery. "I come out here sometimes in the evening to think. It helps clear my mind."

"What's this about, Ike?" asked the princess curiously, nearly ignoring his previous statement. She could tell he wasn't acting like his usual self. This was the first time ever that he asked her to join him privately for anything. It was only safe to assume that he wanted to talk about Dark Link or something along those lines. It wasn't like he had any interest in her…

"I just thought you and I could spend some time together," he replied. "I mean, I did save your life and everything."

"Yeah, good times," said Zelda jokingly. "But I know what you mean. All you 'heroes' are one in the same."

Ike was taken aback, as if she had just insulted him.

"What was that now?"

"You know how the story goes," she explained. "The fair maiden gets kidnapped by the wicked sorcerer and it's up to her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her. So he sets off on a quest, not only to save her, but to learn more about himself and the life that has been brought upon him. You feel like the knight in shining armor."

Ike was silent for a moment before revealing a small grin.

"I'm really not that hard to read, am I?" he said warmly.

"Not at all," replied Zelda with a smile.

The two shared a laugh and stared out into the night. The moon rose slowly over the mountains, casting its blue light over the mansion and the two friends standing together on the balcony. Ike could hear his brain telling him to move one step closer to the girl, but his feet held him back for some reason and he remained in place.

"I don't want you to think I'm being selfish," said Ike. "I know what you had to go through in order to get here. I can't imagine the trauma though…Forgive me."

Zelda closed her eyes, banishing the memory of Dark Link away to the far reaches of her mind.

"Think nothing of it," she said casually. "It is all in the past now and there is nothing that we can do about it." She leaned over the edge and looked down at the cobblestone pavement below. "If we keep going back to the times that we despise, it's not going to help anyone move forward."

"I agree," replied Ike quickly.

"That being said," started Zelda as she turned to him, "I suppose right now is a good a time as any to give you your reward for saving me." She arched her head up slightly and planted a warm kiss on the soldier's cheek. Ike immediately froze on contact, staring into Zelda's hair before she looked away. "There you go," she said, her eyes still closed. "Now you can-"

She was cut off as the mercenary grabbed hold of both her arms and pulled her back into a kiss, forcing her eyes to shoot open in surprise. This reaction didn't even last a second though, as she soon found herself melting into his warm embrace and returning the same motion.

A few minutes passed, and finally the two broke free from each other, staring into each other's eyes and breathing deeply as if they hadn't expected that at all. Both of their cheeks were blushed, mostly Zelda's though due to embarrassment.

"You know what happens at the end of those fairy tales," said Ike quietly. "The brave knight, having vanquished the villain forever, falls in love with the fair maiden…"

He grasped Zelda's hands softly in his, staring deeply into her eyes as if he were about to give the greatest confession ever. Zelda was simply speechless, as she had not expected to react in the same way.

"That is…" she began, but found herself trailing off as she stared into the eyes of her hero. Before last night, Zelda had never expected she would fall in love with the blue-haired, bone-headed swordsman know as Ike Greil. But from the moment he barged into her room and saved her from her most dreaded nightmare, she knew that he would become something special to her. And who would have known that that "something special" would become…potential boyfriend?

"I just want you to know, Zelda," said the swordsman, "that you mean a lot to me. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. But, if this means that we can't be friends anymore, then I'd rather not have it at all."

Zelda could feel her eyes begin to water as he said that last statement. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew (and her goddesses did too) that she did care about Ike more than just a friend. And hearing those words come out of his mouth made her happier than she had ever been in years. With a small smile, the couple embraced each other under the night sky, forgetting all about the past, but vowing to learn from it.

"I love you… Ike."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you to all my lovely readers for coming on this adventure with me. If you liked this story, please make sure you leave a review and tell me what you liked/disliked. Adios!


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